Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos
by Corvus no Genmu
Summary: Their world destroyed, a band of heroes arrives in Juuban eager for a fresh start on life. However, new enemies appear and the Kamen Riders are forced into yet another, seemingly endless war. Problem is, it's not just the DeadMoon Circus. NOW COMPLETE.
1. Escape from Death Itself

I commend this fic to you, ChromeKnight who planted the seed, and to you Paladin, who watered it to grow. To you both, for the inspiration.

Bahamut: Ahem!

And my muses, who refused to allow the plant to die.

Mewtwo: Damn straight.

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DISCLAIMERS: Don't own what's not my own.**

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Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos 

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

Prolouge: War-torn World; Escape from Death Itself

The skies that were, once upon a time, as blue as freshly cut sapphires are now a dulled crimson as though the very heavens were bleeding from mortal wounds. Where multitudes of forests grew and lasted for nigh several decades at the very least, there was now ash and blood mixed with the entrails of the dead beasts that were not able to escape the latest assault. In the cities of man, where towers of steel and glass rose up to the skies and scraped against them, there was nothing but ruins as far as the eye could see and not a single living human being in initial sight though the sound of fighting could be heard echoing in the desolate wind that blew harshly across the landscape where hundreds of crystal spires grew upwards from the ashen ground of the dying world.

A blast of neon fire lit up the darkness of the mid-day light as several voices roared in pure madness. Several figures, their forms blurred both from their speed and the heavy smog that lay close to the grounds which they traversed, ran as a mob of what could once have been called humans gave chase after them, one of them occasional launching a weapon or two into the black mists. Strange hints of reflected light gave evidence to the fact that those being pursued were all bedecked in armor but what kind could not be seen though there were some obvious differences in shape and the way they moved.

"It's too late!" cried one of medium height and extra width. "The Influence has spread! We have to get out of here before they reach the end of their ropes."

"We can't just leave them here, there must be something that can be done for them!" argued what sounded like the youngest of them.

"It's too late for them," said the only female in the group. "They're fully integrated with the towers and have all reached Critical Mass. The only thing we can do is retreat before one of them finally is granted mercy through death."

"Wait a minute," spoke the apparent leader of the band. "Listen."

Silence.

"I don't hear anything…" spoke the youngest.

"That's just it. What happened to the people? They couldn't have just given up."

That answer came from the rupture of the city streets as hundreds of humanoid arms burst from the ground, thick black skins cracked with thick jagged lines of purple-tinted energies. The group was caught flat-footed as several undead hands grasped them and held them tightly in place as the largest of the crystalline towers slowly began to glow.

"Shit!" exclaimed the leader. "Quick!" he spoke to the sole female of the group. "Teleport us out of here before—"

Whatever he was needed to be said, could not be said for, at that very moment, the tower struck.

A huge piece separated itself from the tower's "trunk" and floated in midair before aiming its serrated tip straight at the group and launching itself down at them. Perhaps it was a cruel twist of fate that chose that exact moment for the time of the crystal's victim to end. Two powerful explosions ripped a new hole in the city's center but the lights and sounds were nothing familiar to those watching from a safe distance and indeed the explosions were different. For though he had not finished his words, she already was halfway through the process of teleporting them to safety when those affected with Critical Mass expired in a grand explosion to accompany that of the tower's single assault against them. A chance that could occur only in several lifetimes' worth of time had managed to assert itself in that single moment where three different types of energies mixed and fought for dominance.

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In a world outside of a world, where nothing but darkness was prevalent and light only seen by those capable of making it, there sat a being with eyes of blood that oozed promises of pain and destruction. Eyes that narrowed in anger as hands nearly crushed the sole window that showed the outside world in its entirety.

"What has happened?" rasped the being. "The crystals, they're resonating; vanished but not dead. How can this be? That would have at least killed the others and left him for me to finish off. Where have they GONE?! Do they think they can ESCAPE me so EASILY?! I WILL FIND YOU!" Crystals began to cover the world like weeds gone into overdrive as the being vented its rage. "AND WHEN I DO, I'LL RIP OUT YOUR HEART AND TAKE BACK WHAT WAS STOLEN FROM ME! DO YOU HEAR ME? 

"I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!"

The world that was once home to six billion people and several million life forms exploded silently in the darkness of space, with nothing but a large glowing crystal as a living tombstone to the planet's demise.

To Be Continued...


	2. Enter the Trinity

What's up peeps? Surprised that I've updated a fic in less than a week? Well, don't be. Unlike my other fics, which are currently stuck behind huge blocks if you catch my drift, I have inspiration abounds and the only thing keeping me from updating will be situations outside my control. In other words, I'll update once a week with at least one chapter, sometimes two if I'm ahead of schedule. Also, while I will be trying to match the timeline of the SuperS Arc, for the most part, there will be some rearranging of episodes and some smooshing together of others. Trust me that it will work out properly in the end. 

When the true war really begins.

Hehehehe.

Anyway, next week's update might not arrive for, as I'm sure most of ya know, Smash Brothers Brawl comes out! WHOOPA! I'm gonna be kickin' butt as Sonic!

Bahamut: And I as Charizard.

Me: Don't you mean Red (The Pokemon Trainer)?

Bahamut: I meant what I said.

Poupoko: (Kirby for me!)

Mewtwo: And I as myself.

Me: Uh… Mewtwo, you do know that you're not—

Mewtwo: (Brandishing a Shadow-Ball) I'm not what?

Me: … Going to cheat with your telepathy this time!

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DISCLAIMERS: Don't own what's not my own.**

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Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos 

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

Chapter One: Enter the Trinity; Welcome New Friends!

"Attention class, today I'd like to introduce our three newest transfer students. Although our summer vacation will be starting next week, please let them feel welcome and help them with the upcoming high school entrance exams." Miss Haruna turned and looked out into the hallway. "Come in, we don't bite."

In walked three boys, two of whom were dressed in the school uniform while one, the tallest of them, was dressed in a trench coat. The first of them was of bit above average height and wore his jacket open to show a muscular build like that of a martial artist. He had black hair with a stripe of silver that fell past his eyes and was cut in a rather odd way. The black portion of his hair fell past his chin and was smooth and soft in appearance while the hair of the silver stripe, that started at his forehead and ended at the back of his neck, was sharp and pointed like spikes. His eyes were also a startling orange color.

The second student was also a boy and was a head shorter than the first. He had a build found more on American-style football players. He had light brown hair with slight bits of blonde on the edges, which was cut quite short along the sides but kept long and sharp along the top. His eyes were a remarkable shade of amber and he had an easy-going smile on his face, ignoring the looks he was receiving from the class. For while both eyes were fine in appearance, his left eye had a long jagged scar that started at the top of his eyebrow and ended just above his jaw.

The third student, also male, was a few inches taller than the first and had replaced his uniform jacket with a crimson trench coat. He had dull brown hair tied back into a ponytail that fell past his shoulders and his eyes were a bright blue. He had fighter's bandages wrapped tightly around his hands, just like the other two did, and seemed quite displeased with something.

"Why don't you three introduce yourselves to the class and, while you're at it, tell us a bit about yourselves." Miss Haruna suggested. The three exchanged looks before the boy with black and silver hair stepped forward.

"My name is Eiji Kusanagai. I've just turned sixteen and I like to fight in the martial arts." He cracked his knuckles for emphasis, earning many winces from the class. "And I don't lose."

"Willingly." The taller boy said, earning a sharp glare from Eiji which was ignored. "I am Takuya Yashima. I've been sixteen for some time and I like racing, particularly motor-cross, and being left alone. You'd do best to remember that."

"Ignore him," said the smaller boy. "His bark is worse than his bite." He bowed his head the slightest bit and said, "My name is Morisato Akichi but please, call me Mori. I'm still fifteen and I like to tinker with machines. I'm also the cute one out of my friends here."

"Annoying is not cute." Takuya muttered under his breath. Needless to say, there were several girls that ignored Takuya entirely, focusing instead upon his and the others' physical form. The tall boy had a sudden sense of dread. '_Damn. This is like being a rooster in a hen house._'

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"I can't believe how cute all the new guys are," said Lita, a slight flush on her face. Her lunch box remained untouched by her side and her fingers played with the curls of her hair. '_Uh-oh…_' though Amy and Serena, both knowing what was coming up next. "Especially Eiji…"

"Don't tell me," said Serena, taking a bite out her sandwich. "He reminds you of your old boyfriend?"

"Actually…" Lita said, missing Serena's sarcasm. "He doesn't. He's just got this… I don't know… aura about him, I guess. He's a fighter, just like the other two, but he's different. He's a… a veteran. Yeah, a veteran."

"He'll be pleased to know that." Said a voice from behind them. All three girls turned to see Morisato sitting not more than a few feet away, his back turned to them. He looked over his shoulder, his scar easily seen, and smiled. "Eiji's the best out of the three of us and has won more fights than Takuya and I have fought. I've never won against him in a fair fight. Neither has Tak-kun, not that Tak-kun would ever admit it."

"How long have you been back there?" asked Amy. She knew this area was empty when they got there and she never once heard him sit down.

"A few minutes." Morisato shrugged nonchalantly. He looked over towards Lita. "If you want to know, Eiji-kun's up on the roof. He's also happened to have… lost… his bento somehow."

Lita blushed a brilliant pink. "Oh…? I-I don't suppose he's… uh… willing to share a lunch is he?"

Morisato smiled. "If it's a lunch made from a girl like you, I sincerely doubt he'd say no. Of course, he is starving so he might end up asking from one of Tak-kun's followers…"

Lita didn't even bother to say goodbye to Serena and Amy, and had already taken off towards the roof of the school. Serena blinked in surprise; she'd never seen Lita move so fast before. She suddenly chuckled mischievously to herself and followed after the brunette, wanting to see how this would turn out. Amy just shook her head and smiled and looked over towards Morisato.

"Playing matchmaker are we?"

Morisato chuckled and held up a second lunch box. "Guilty as charged. Seeing that we are without our mutual friends, would you mind if I sat with you miss…?"

"Amy, Amy Mizuno."

"Ah, so you're the top student in Japan…" Morisato said, making himself comfortable beside her on the wooden bench. "I must say that I'm impressed." 

Amy blushed faintly and focused her attention on her textbook. "Oh, it's nothing that important really…" She fiddled with her eyeglasses.

"Hey now, don't be selling yourself short." Morisato disagreed. "It takes quite a mind to be the best student in all of Japan. Especially at your age, man it wasn't until I was seven before I figured out the actual truth behind what E equals. There's only one thing I don't get though…"

"Oh?" said Amy, "What?"

"How can someone so smart… be so adorable at the same time?" Morisato asked, mentally smiling to himself as Amy's face went full-out tomato red.

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A loud grumble came from within an empty pit in the center of his stomach, earning another wince from he who the stomach in question belonged to. Eiji silently swore vengeance on whatever being deemed it necessary for him to forget his lunch on the way to school. He supposed that whatever deity there was out there, was paying him back slightly by torturing Takuya with a mob of fan-girls. He wouldn't ever want such a thing to happen to him, even if it did mean he would get a free lunch out of it.

"Ah… he-hello? Eiji?" A female voice gasping for air came from behind him made Eiji realize he spoke way too soon. He turned, expecting a mad mob of females with enough common sense to attract those with little of it but was pleasantly surprised to see Lita Kino standing beside the door, out-of-breath and flushed from a long run up the stairs.

Eiji blinked in surprise. This was one of the few girls here that didn't immediately annoy him or send off any, 'non-poaching' signals. He was a bit confused as to why she wore a different uniform compared to the others but seeing as she was as tall as he, it did make some sense. The school probably didn't have any uniforms her size and didn't want to waste the money making one for just one girl.

"Um, I was wondering." Lita said. "If you don't mind it, I could… I could share my lunch with you, if you want any of course."

Eiji's stomach made a low growl that all but demanded that he say yes but there was something he wanted to know first. "Did you just run up five flights of stairs to ask me if I wanted to share lunch with you?" Lita blushed, not that one could immediately tell with her face still flushed from the run, and nodded. Eiji nodded. "Alright then."

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"So… how was lunch, Eiji-kun?" Morisato asked. Eiji glanced down at his friend and saw his lunch being held up under his nose. He felt his eyebrow twitch as his hands cracked into a clawlike position.

"You… You were the one…" Eiji growled. "How dare you set me up with that girl!"

"Didn't you enjoy the company?" asked Moristao. "I know I did."

Eiji rolled his eyes but ignored commenting in favor of getting rid of the slight blush on his face. "She was… okay… Her food was excellent, and I said as such. For a martial artist, she was quite shy about compliments."

"What do you expect, Majesty?" Takuya said in a snide tone. "She's in awe of your greatness."

Eiji smirked. "At least I didn't have an entire entourage chasing me during lunch."

"Harumph!" Takuya huffed and grumbled under his breath. "Air-headed twits."

"Back to you, Eiji-kun." Morisato said, trying to get his earlier question answered. "Did you ask her out? Or did you break the poor girl's heart?"

"I WOULD NOT—!" Eiji stopped and flushed at the sudden attention he had drawn from the rest of the crowd walking the bustling sidewalks. "I wouldn't do that to anyone. Not on purpose." He said in a hushed tone.

"Oh? So when's the date?" Morisato looked up at Eiji.

Eiji looked at Morisato in silence. "……… Sunday… we're going to go and watch the solar eclipse with her friends."

"Ah, now that is more like it!" exclaimed Morisato, a grin stretching across his face. "Just the perfect opportunity to get close to my little Sprite-chan."

"Sprite-chan?" Takuya gaffawed. "You've talked with the girl once and already got a nickname for her? Won't Sailor Mercury be disappointed."

Morisato had the deceny to blush. "Oh shut up, bird-boy. At least Eiji-kun and I have prospective girlfriends, right Eiji-kun? … Eiji-kun?" Both Morisato and Takuya paused and looked behind them to see Eiji staring off into the sky, his face hard and his eyes gaining a crimson tint. "Is something wrong?"

"I… don't know… For a moment there… I could have sworn I saw…" Eiji sighed and shook his head. "Never mind, let's head back before Midoriko gets worried."

Takuya grunted while Morisato nodded wordlessly and continued on their way while Eiji glanced once more up towards the sky. '_Could have really been…? No, they're a myth… but then, wasn't He? Weren't they? … Did I really just see… a Pegasus?' _

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"I can't believe he asked you out to the solar eclipse!" gushed Serena, walking backwards so that she was facing the pink-faced Lita. "It's so romantic!"

"Serena!" Lita exclaimed. "He didn't ask me out on a date! Just… as friends, that's all… And what were you doing spying on us in the first place?"

"Well… if you must know…" Serena sent a sly look over towards Amy, who gained a sudden feeling of dread. "I wanted Amy to be alone with her own boyfriend."

"SERENA!" Amy's face went redder than Lita had ever seen it. "Mori is not my boyfriend!"

"Already on a first-name basis? Good for you, Amy-chan!" Serena cheered. Amy tried to argue her case but Serena was firm in her belief. Lita just took the moment's peace granted to her by Serena's distraction to reflect on what had occurred during her lunch with Eiji Kusanagi.

_Flashback, _

_"Spirits above." Eiji smiled and took another bite of his octopuss-shaped weiner. "This is the best food I've eaten in years!" _

_"Really?" Lita asked, her face a bright pink. "You like it?" _

_"I do indeed, Kino-san," said Eiji, "but please, do eat your share. I don't take food from anyone, least of all one who is willing to share such delectables as this with me." _

_Lita giggled giddily and took a bite for herself. "It's Lita, okay? Unless you want me to call you, Kusanagi-san." _

_Eiji's eyes dulled for a moment and he paused for a moment. "No. Too many memories from that. None good either." _

_"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it." Lita said, suddenly worried she had brought up a bad recollection. Eiji merely shook his head and smiled slightly. _

_"Don't worry about it, Lita." Eiji stated. "You know, I've heard some rumors." _

_"Rumors?" Lita accepted the sudden change in topic gracefully. "About what?" _

_"Nothing much, just something about a former transfer student being quite well-off in the martial arts, and whom doesn't take kindly to those who don't comprehend the word 'no'." Eiji smirked at Lita's blush. "Ring any bells?" _

_"Ah-heheheheh… yeah." Lita was worried that he was going to be turned off by her 'tomboyish' tendency of fighting but was quite surprised to hear him chuckling. _

_"Good, I like girls like you." Eiji stated, completely ignorant of the full intent his words could be interpreted as. "Maybe we'll have a spar sometime, how does that sound? Can't promise I'll go easy on you though." _

_Lita blinked and, flushing, stuttered an affirmative before a sudden memory popped up. "Hey, Eiji…" _

_"Yeah?" Eiji took a bite of his sandwich. _

_"Is it true that you've never lost a fight?" _

_"… Where'd you hear that? Morisato?" Eiji slowly lowered his arm down and balanced his sandwich lightly on his knee. _

_"Yes. He said that he's never won against you before and neither has Yashima." _

_Eiji smirked. "Morisato is my better when it comes to heavy blows such as punches and is more adept than I at large weaponry like hammers and such. Takuya is faster than either of us but limits himself by using small striking weapons like sai or tonfa. I can stand against me through sheer stamina. Can't say I prefer any weapons though…" _

_"Why are you three so into the martial arts anyway?" asked Lita. "Are you in the same fighting school?" _

_Eiji smiled and shook his head. "School, no. As for our interest… it's our fate? No, I suppose destiny is a better word isn't it? Heh, kind of like you and making such good food." _

_Lita giggled girlishly, earning a raised eyebrow from Eiji. _

_"I live to cook," said Lita, putting her legs out in front of her, "and someday, I'll have my own restaurant and it'll be packed full every night. Where people from all over the globe will come to have me cook for them." She rested her hands on her knees. "At least that's my dream, I just don't know if I'll ever be good enough." _

_Eiji's other eyebrow joined the first. "What? Don't say such things as that, you're only as good as you make yourself out to be. As my Father once said, 'Over and over life has challenged me, but over and over I have challenged life!' That is what you must do as well, Lita. Challenge life right back." Eiji grinned. "I'll even be your first customer!" _

_"Eiji…" Lita's face was doing a wonderful rendition of the color red. She began to draw circles with her fingers, pressing her face into her knees. "Would… would you like to go out sometime?" _

_Eiji stiffened and looked down at her in surprise before slowly frowning. He remained silent long enough for Lita to think he had refused and felt the bitterness of tears sting her emerald eyes. _

_It felt all the worse when he put it to words. _

_"I'd rather not, Lita." Eiji said, his tone even and emotionless. "Sometime is too vague for me. …… I overheard you and your friends talking about that eclipse happening on Sunday. Mind if I go out with you then?" Lita blinked rapidly in surprise before a smile that was faintly glowing spread itself on her face. _

_"Not at all; it sounds wonderful." _

_"Good. Talk to you tomorrow then." Eiji stood up and stretched. "Thanks for the lunch. Oh, and can you do me a small favor? That friend of yours, the one with the meatball-style hair? Tell her she should really find something better to do than eavesdrop on someone's conversation. Hear that alright Meatball-head?" _

_A surprised squeak and thud from the opposite side of the door was all Lita needed as incentive. "SERENA!"_

_End flashback_

Lita giggled to herself. She couldn't wait! Though that didn't mean that she'd stick out of Amy's own lovelife, or lack thereof.

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To Be Continued...

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Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_Serena:_ Three new hunks and Lita's already snagged one for the solar eclipse and Ami's got a boy crushin' on her to boot! However, a sinister circus appears in the middle of the eclipse? Now after attempts of stealing our life energies and pure hearts, a new enemy arrives to search and destroy our beautiful dreams to find the mysterious Pegasus! But what's this? A new masked warrior arrives onto the scene proclaiming that he walks between the boundaries of life and death! Who is this mysterious Kamen Rider?

The Circus Arrives; A Masked Rider Appears!


	3. A Masked Rider Appears!

Bahamut: Damn it Mewtwo! Stop teleporting and hold still!

Mewtwo: If your control over Charizard was better, you wouldn't have any problems hitting me.

Bahamut: And what about you Poupoko! I thought you were going to be using Kirby!

Poupoko: (I was until I found out how good Pit is with his swords! Besides, it wouldn't seem right.)

Mewtwo: What wouldn't?

Bahamut: Yeah, what?

Poupoko: (Smiles) (Oh, Corvus will tell you. That is, after he hears what Camille's going to tell him.)

Bahamut: That explains his absence, but not your decision. Spill.

Poupoko: (Points at Adrian playing with blocks in the corner)

Bahamut: (Jaws drop) Oh you've got to be kidding me. This is worse than the kid's first word, Corvus will go absolutely nuts.

Mewtwo: You're just never going to let it drop that Adrian's first word was 'dragon' are you?

Bahamut: (Executes Charziard's Final Smash) Nope.

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**DISCLAIMERS: Don't own what's not my own.**

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**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

Chapter Two: The Circus Arrives; A Masked Rider Appears!

Eiji ran a hand through his hair and sighed tiredly. "Damn, if I knew this place would be so crowded, I wouldn't have agreed to this. So many emotions…"

"Aw, but it is the best spot in all the city!" Morisato shoved him forward. "Come on! Let's go find those lovely ladies!"

"Lovely in form but not in mind," grumbled Takuya. Morisato rolled his eyes in agitation.

"You're just moody because you were chased around the school the past three days during lunch."

"Well, wouldn't you?" Takuya muttered. "Oh wait, you were busy chasing after that brainiac, Mizuno."

"Hey! Don't you insult her!" Morisato growled, getting in Takuya's face.

"I call them as I see them!" he growled right back. "And that girl is too damn smart to fall for your old tricks, you womanizer!"

"Why you—"

"Stuff it, both of you. Morisato, I know you've changed your ways, but that doesn't mean your past can be forgotten. Takuya, I know how you feel after what happened with her, but don't take it out on every girl you meet." Eiji said.

"Oh yeah?" Takuya asked. "What about you? I thought you said that you didn't have time for a relationship, and here you are sharing lunches with a girl you've only met a few days ago."

Eiji's eyes gained a dark reddish tint. "Takuya, we have the rest of our lives ahead of us now. We no longer have the same worries and concerns that surrounded us as we grew up. We're free to actually be normal people for a change, with all that normal life entails. Can you look me straight in the eye and tell me that the idea of having someone to share your life with, doesn't appeal to you?"

"No! It doesn't appeal to me at all!" Takuya exclaimed, looking past Eiji's shoulders.

"Heh, I thought so." Eiji turned and closed his eyes. He remained silent for a moment before suddenly opening them. "That way."

The trio walked past the crowds and saw a large group of girls, plus two boys, that the three of them faintly recognized. They all remembered Serena, Ami, and Lita, but the rest were new to them, though the three of them could have sworn the young pink-haired girl was related in to Serena in some fashion, with the way she kept her hair in a similar style.

"Yo!" exclaimed Morisato. "How you doin', Sprite-chan?" Ami immediately stiffened and blushed before she buried her face into her book as the rest of her group turned to the trio.

"Eiji!" exclaimed Lita, a smile lighting her face. She jumped to her feet and waved. "You made it!"

"Of course," said Eiji. "An eclipse happens every century or two, meeting a girl like you, now that's a chance in a million."

The girls giggled at Lita's faint flush while the boy's shot curious looks towards the trio.

"Who's your friend, Lita?" asked Mina, her eyes focusing more on Takuya.

Introductions were made and seating arrangements were heavily argued, more with the girls than the boys, until an agreement was made. Eiji was sitting beside Andrew with Lita on his other side holding his hand, both faintly blushing while Morisato was sitting beside Ami, who was trying very hard to continue reading her textbook despite Morisato's close proximity as he read over her shoulder. Takuya, much to his chargrin, was seated between Rei and Mina, both of whom were shooting mild glares at the other behind his back.

"So you're the famous Darien Shields." Eiji said. "Good to have a face to go with Serena's constant praises. Name's Eiji Kusanagi."

"So I've heard." Darien smiled. "You forget who's my girlfriend."

"Ah yes." Eiji nodded. "Queen of the gossip network, she is."

"Yep."

"Hey!" Serena exclaimed as the other girls laughed.

"Aw, it's starting." Andrew placed his view screen over his eyes as a few of the others did the same while the rest placed specially-made glasses over their eyes.

They watched in awe as the moon slowly began to move in front of the sun as the sky became darker and darker, with the city's lights being shut off for this brief and wondrous moment. The effect was made even grander when the moon reached its place in front of the sun and the complete solar eclipse occurred.

In that brief moment, time seemed to go on forever as though the sun would never be seen again and the skies would forever remain black without any stars shining. A storm the likes of which could not be seen occurred in that everlasting moment before ending as soon as it began with the sudden appearance of a large circus tent attached to many large air-balloons that allowed it to slowly drift into the center of the city. In that time when it made its landing and finalized its descent into the city, its magic would be weak allowing only those with great magic themselves to bear witness to it, but all eyes were turned to the skies and none had seen the strange arrival of the circus tent.

As the moon drifted past the sun and allowed light to shine back into the world, Eiji's senses went haywire with a vast amount of negativity the likes of which he felt before and which those times were never good. He looked around frantically for the source but couldn't see what had his empathy going haywire, save for a strange circus tent floating above the city. '_What the hell? When did that get there…? And why do I have a really bad feeling about it…?_'

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"They haven't noticed! They haven't noticed! They! Haven't! Noticed!" A unicyclist cackled. "People in this city don't notice anything!"

A masked face appeared out of the darkness. "They don't even realize that they act like dogs!"

Another mask slid next to the first. "They don't even realize they're raising kids into monkeys."

"This city is full of apes and dogs!" laughed a third.

"Even if a circus tent appears," whispered a man in a red cloak that, with a small twirl, changed into a ballerina with the head of a damaged teddy bear. "In the center of the center of the city right out of the blue." Another twirl and there was a tall-legged man with a crescent moon-shaped mask juggling balls. "They don't notice it at all!"

Dozens of plain faced masks, eyes staring dully out into space repeatedly asked, "Why?" Until the one mask, the once face, that was the most human in the entire murmured. "I wonder why?"

"They're the kind of people that only care about what's happening in their own little lives," answered a bandaged man holding up a large smiling face so that his eyes glowed out from its mouth.

"So then, even if the whole world collapses at their feet…" A dwarf balancing atop a dancer's head began only for her platform to interrupt her.

"Even if a circus tent appears in the middle of their city!"

A balloon bodied performer floated upwards on speed born from expertise. "The people around here would never notice at all!"

The demented folk of the darkness in the circus tent began to laugh and dance with glee as their spoke of the limited intelligence of the city around them.

"Quiet." A harsh, graveling voice of an heavily-aged woman spoke from out of nowhere. "I said QUIET."

The performers instantly silenced and bowed deeply to the large monolithic elephant statue where a single unoccupied platform rested upon its trunk before vanishing into the darkness of the circus tent. An explosion of smoke appeared on the platform and vanished away to reveal a purple-skinned old crone with a long staff upon which there was a single gleaming red eye with wings and flames upon its top.

"Now… the time has finally come to take over this world… Amazon Trio? Are you there?" Though it was a question, there was no doubt that the hag meant it as more of a demand.

A ring of fire rose up to reveal a man with long orange hair armed with a whip and wearing a leotard colored in tiger-stripes. "Tigers-Eye present." He looked up to reveal pointed ears and a strange gem adorned atop his forehead.

A ring of water rose up to his right to reveal someone that could have been either man or woman, whose voice led it to be questioned further. "Fish-Eye present!" He, or she, also had pointed ears and a gem adorning her, or his, forehead.

A ring of wind carrying feathers of a hawk rose up to reveal another man with short pink-hair wearing brown gloves. "Hawks-Eye present." Like the first two, he had pointed ears and a gem atop his forehead.

"At your service, Master Zirconia." The Amazon Trio spoke.

"Listen… he should have escaped somewhere in this world… To capture him is the first step for us to take over this world. I order you for your first job… You must find those with beautiful dreams." This surprised the Trio.

"Only beautiful dreams, Master Zirconia?" asked Fish-Eye.

"That's right… he cannot hold his form for a long time in this world… In this material world, he would quickly lose his energy and die. There is only one way for him to exist in this world…" Zirconia's yellowed fingers danced with glee at the thought.

"What's that?" chorused the Trio.

"By hiding… and living in someone's beautiful dream."

"I understand," smirked Tigers-Eye.

"Then he's already found a dream to hide in? He's here but he's found someone who dreams beautiful dreams, Master Zirconia?" asked Hawks-Eye.

"That's right! This world is large and there as many humans as there are stars, but only a few can have beautiful dreams… I'm sure someone has seen him, has given him sancuatary. Go out there, and bring him… TO ME!"

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"Just cause you're a girl doesn't mean you have to wait for a prince to come along on a white horse. You can go out and find Prince Charming yourself, it's up to you to find the right boy. When you meet, you'll both know whether or not you're meant to be together."

"My, my," said Eiji, turning in his seat to look over Serena's shoulder at the pink-haired girl. "I've not heard such wise words from one as young as you before."

"Eeeek! Eiji, don't do that, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" Serena screeched, earning a sharp wince from the orange-eyed boy.

"Sorry. I was just using the time to think and here I am suddenly finding myself with words reminiscent of my father's own and I couldn't help but comment." He looked over towards Rini. "You must be a mature child, considering who you're related to."

"Hey!" Serena huffed and crossed her arms. "I think she's been reading my romance books again, that's probably where she got the idea from."

"Yes, yes," said Eiji, a placating smile on his lips. "Still, I'll take those words to heart, small lady." Eiji nodded and stood. "Tips on the table, miss. See ya."

"That's really strange that I didn't even see him come in," said Serena.

"He was here before the two of you got here," answered Elizabeth, as she took Eiji's empty glass and picked up his tip for her, her eyes subtlely widening at the amount. "I asked him how he was doing and he said something about a sense of forboding."

"Forboding?" Serena blinked. "I hope its got nothing to do with Lita, I really think he'd be good for her."

"Lita? Really? Tell me more!" Elizabeth mentally grinned, she'd managed to get the conversation away from her love-life, or lack-thereof.

"What about your own boyfriend, Elizabeth? What's he like?" asked Rini, effectively returning the original topic to the floor.

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'_What is this bizarre feeling? It's almost like… like a fog is being drawn over the city…_' Eiji walked down the lit sidewalks of Juuban's nightlife in silence, his orange eyes scanning the odd person or two that walked past. '_I can feel that there are people in this city but nothing specific unless they draw closer. I can feel the others easily but that's to be expected… So why…_' Eiji paused and looked up towards an apartment building where he saw none other than Lita cleaning the inside of her windows with a happy smile on her face. He turned sharply to the left where he could feel more than see Rei sweeping the foreground of her temple up on Cherry Hill.

'_Why do I sense those girls so easily despite this… fog?That Rini child especially… Things are different here I know but how could six ordinary girls be picked up so easily by my empathy? Could they—no, there was no Storm so, logically, there were none of them though the movie franchise says otherwise…_' Eiji sighed and continued on his way, his eyes idly glancing up towards a large bus traveling past him. He saw Elizabeth sitting near the front but when his eyes fell upon one of the passengers behind her…

It was an exact replica of what he felt during the eclipse albeit on a much smaller scale.

"Whatever it is," Eiji said, jogging after the bus. "It can't have been good. So much for a normal life."

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"One!" A large wall burst out of the ground behind Elizabeth. "Two!" Her wrists and ankles became shackled. "Three!" With a pained scream, a golden light shined from her chest to reveal a pink-rimmed mirror with a blue boy adorning its top. Elizabeth fainted from the strain while her assailant only smiled with glee as his plan to ensare her came to its climax.

Tigers-Eye laughed. "So that's a dream mirror. With it, I'll be able to see your dreams, beautiful or not."

"Stop right there!" called a voice from behind him.

"Who's there?" He turned to see a pair of sailor-suited warriors the likes of which many of the city of Juban were quite familiar with.

"We are Sailor Scouts!" proclaimed the taller one.

"And we stand for love and justice!" The younger one spoke.

"I'm Sailor Moon!"

"And I'm Sailor Mini-Moon!"

"And in the name of the moon we shall punish you!" proclaimed both girls.

"Well, well, well… We seem to have a couple of pumpkins out from the patch this evening. Come out and take care of these two for me my remless. My automated doll, Karakuriko." Tigers-Eye's shadow stretched itself outwards as a strange symbol reminiscent of an eye flashed at its head before a humanoid form burst out to reveal a female-bodied auto-doll like the ones often found in circuses.

"Karakuriko!" chimed the remless, her head spinning around and around like a top.

"Careful," Sailor Moon warned her younger protégé. "That's some crazy monster."

"Karakuriko, get rid of them!" commanded Tigers-Eye. The auto-doll giggled with glee before breaking itself into pieces that flew through the air. One of the leg pieces knocked Sailor Moon clean off her feet only for Karakuriko's hands catch her by the arms and drag her upwards as Karakuriko's lower torso plowed over Mini-Moon.

Sailor Moon gulped nervously as Karakuriko's head floated up and sneered at her. "What are you doing?"

Karakuriko's answer was to open her mouth to reveal a long sharp blade which extended straight at Sailor Moon. She twisted out of the way but the blade retracted itself and tried again for her other side. Sailor Moon was forced to twist left and right to avoid being stabbed.

Tigers-Eye laughed as he watched the show. "How long can you dodge it?"

Before anything more could be said from the elf-earred villain, there was a small burst of blue light that shot out from the darkness and impacted heavily against the remless' blade which flew through the air to imbed itself next to Tigers-Eye's foot.

"That was a warning," said a electronically-distorted voice from beside the surprised Sailor Moon. Everyone looked up to see a tall armored figure standing amidst the branches of a tree. By the voice and build, one could easily tell he was male. He wore a leather-like black leotard underneath the charcoal-gray that was the dominant color of his armor and his helmet was shaped to resemble the head of some kind of carnivorous dinosaur. Along the back of his armor was a row of small metallic spikes that were only a few inches in length. The gauntlets ended in sharp claws and the visor, which was the "mouth" of the helmet, was a dark red. The gauntlet on his left arm held a cell phone sized device that was a more defined shape of the dinosaur's head that made up his helmet while the gauntlet on his right held a large blaster-gun of some sort.

"Oh look, another vegetable has sprouted," muttered Tigers-Eye under his breath. "So what's with the Halloween costume?"

"How dare you speak to me in such a manner. I am he who walks between the boundaries of life and death, Kamen Rider Gojira!" He clenched his fist tightly, the eyes on his helmet glowing red. "I'll send you back to the cage you crawled out of."

"Alright, I'll take you on…" Nothing more was said as Gojira launched himself downwards and threw punch after punch at the Amazon who defended himself with his long whip. For a moment, it looked as though the two were evenly matched when Gojira suddenly fired a small burst of energy at Tigers-Eye's whip, sending it flying and wrapping itself tightly around a tree trunk.

"Winner, Gojira." The black Rider said emotionless, raising his gun up to level with Tigers-Eye's face who looked only slightly nervous as he chuckled.

"I think you're wrong."

"What?" Gojira suddenly realized what had happened as the whip behind him glowed a brilliant purple, freezing him in place. "A parlor trick!"

"The whip has sewn your shadow to the tree. You can't even move."

Gojira remained silent before suddenly firing a small blast of energy point-blank at Tigers-Eye's face, sending the orange-haired Amazon tumbling head over heels. Growling in pain, Tigers-Eye clutched his face with both hands as Gojira said, "I don't need to move to use my cannon, feline." Though he knew it was for the best, Gojira was deeply frustrated at having to use such low amounts of power. If these girls were as powerful as people made them out to be, they'd be able to get out of this situation without his direct interference.

If not, he'd step up to bat and show these girls what it meant to be a soldier.

"Grrr…" Tigers-Eye stood up to show that he was virtually unscathed from the attack save for the black ash that covered his face. "If I had the time to waste, I'd take care of you right here and now. However…" He turned to look at the shackled Elizabeth, her mirror still shining over her chest. "I have to look inside a beautiful dream." He grasped the mirror tightly in his hands before shoving his head straight through, eliciting a scream of pain from Elizabeth and an aggravated growl from Gojira. '_Damn it, what is he doing to her? There's no logical explanation for any of this!_'

"No, Elizabeth!" Sailor Moon strained against the remless' hands that held her to no avail.

Tigers-Eye pulled his head out with a sigh. "Too bad… It's a beautiful dream, but he's not in here. I guess I have no choice." He looked down at Elizabeth, who had since passed out from the strain of Tigers-Eye's explorations of her dreams. "I do feel sorry for you, but everyone with beautiful dreams must be eradicated so he doesn't escape into them." Tigers-Eye turned to acknowledge his remless.

"Karakuriko, get rid of them all." He looked between the two Sailor Scouts and the sole Kamen Rider. "Starting with the pumpkins."

"Glad to be of service!" chirped Karakuriko, her head floating back up towards Sailor Moon as another arm sprouted from her lower torso to try and claw at Chibi-Moon's face with suddenly lengthened nails. Gojira struggled to turn his arm but the best he could manage was turning his head, roaring silently in frustration at not activating his K-Zector before he allowed his pride to get in the way.

'_At this rate, all of us…_' Chibi-Moon pushed with all her might against the auto-doll's hand. '_Please… can't somebody… help us…_'

There was a sound of golden bells as a brilliant aurora of light shined above them all. Beams of light shot down, sending both pieces of Karakuriko flying back. A horse's neigh was heard as the light shedded its form to become that which one Eiji Kusanagi had assumed to have seen just days ago.

"I don't believe it." Gojira muttered. "A flying unicorn?"

"It's HIM!" cried Tigers-Eye in shock. "The Good One, Pegasus!"

"What…?" Sailor Moon slowly rose to her feet, having just been dropped at least two yards to the ground as the winged horse landed before her and Sailor Chibi-Moon. Before either of the two Sailor Scouts could say another word, they were engulfed in a glimmering light that changed the form of their fuku to that of Super Sailors.

"A second transformation. Cast-On?" Gojira asked himself, standing back and enjoying the show as a frustrated Tigers-Eye ordered his remless to destroy the two transformed Sailors.

The pieces of Karakuriko drew back together as she charged forward on all fours to the two Super Sailors who gasped in surprise when a small item shaped like a glass kaleidoscope appeared before Super-Sailor Moon, who grasped the strangely shaped weapon lightly in her hands.

'_This is… I feel a mysterious power building up all over my body…_' Just as Karakuriko was with striking distance, Super-Sailor Moon suddenly kneeled down on one knee, the kaleidoscope glowing brightly with energy that she shot forward with a straight thrust of her arm. An effect like a lens of a kaleidoscope flashed through the air and impacted against the remless.

"STAGE OUT!" Was her final cry before Karakuriko shattered into pieces and disappeared save for her shadow. The eye-like symbol on her shadow's head faded out with a puff of smoke and, with it, the last of Karakuriko.

"This isn't good…" Tigers-Eye backflipped into a ring of fire and disappeared. With him gone, the apparatus holding Elizabeth disappeared and her dream mirror flickered back inside of her as she collapsed onto the ground. The energy-whip disappeared as well, freeing Gojira of its effects. He stumbled forward a step but remained in place as both he and the two Super Sailors stared at the winged horse that, somehow, gave them the help they needed.

"How beautiful…" whispered Super-Sailor Moon. With a blink of an eye, Pegasus was gone in a sparkle of dream dust and with him, their Super-forms. "He vanished… Ah! We're back to the way we were!"

Gojira shook his head as he moved over to check on Elizabeth.

"Hey you, don't you lay a hand on her!" exclaimed Chibi-Moon, who was blatantly ignored.

Gojira kneeled down, placing two fingers upon Elizabeth's neck and gazed through the information his armor was feeding the visor over his face. "She's alright. Just unconsciouss." He stood and looked over towards the two Sailors of the Moon. "I commend you for your effort but I fail to see just how it is that you and your fellows have defended this city from evil."

"Hey!" exclaimed both girls. "What's that suppose to mean?!"

"It means," said Gojira, jumping upwards and landing on the lamppost he had appeared atop of. "That you're nothing but a hindrance. In this war, you'll only end up getting yourselves killed. Leave it to myself and the other Riders. That, or toughen up. Until next we meet, I fight on."

Another large leap and the black Rider was gone from sight.

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To Be Continued...

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Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_Lita:_ Not a day after their arrival, our new enemy strikes again, this time at our old friend Rita! But what's this? Angst amongst the ranks of the Kamen Riders? Why's Gojira laughing at Tigers-Eye? He's been hiding his true potential since the beginning?! What's the Cast-On System and does it have anything to do with the symbol adorning Gojira's back? Tune in next time!

Cast-On! Gojira's Full Power Revealed!

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	4. Cast On! Gojira's Full Power Revealed!

Me: Guys! Guys! Guess what! Camille's pregnant! There's going to be another Genmu-tyke toddling around the place! I'm so hyped, I could burst!

Bahamut: If that's the case, then don't look towards your son.

Me: Que? (looks toward Adrian; jaw drops) Is that?

Mewtwo: Yep.

Me: That means that Adrian's…

Poupoko: (smiles) (Yes he is, Corvus.)

Me: (backflips) YES! To me my son! (hugs Adrian who giggles) And come here my son's muse! Oh, my boy, the works of art that you'll create! I can't wait!

Mewtwo: He'll probably end up a chef what with who he's got as a muse. Who better to taste-test it?

Me: None whatsoever! Right, little dudes?

Adrian: Dada, silly.

Kirby: Poyo!

Me: In celebration of these wonderful news, I shall update KRD: EoC twice this week!

* * *

**DISCLAIMERS: Don't own what's not my own.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

Chapter Three: Cast-On! Gojira's Full Power Revealed!

In the darkness of the Dead Moon's circus tent, one could hearlaughter from all directions from characters of every sort, all finding the cruel humor of one of their own's failed attempt at capturing the Good One, as they called him.

"Did you hear?" said a mask to his compatriot. "Lord Tigers-Eye screwed up big time!"

"I heard he and his ego couldn't capture Pegasus." The compatriot answered.

"And I heard he ran into some unexpected obstactles and wasn't even able to defeat them in an unfair fight!" cackled the third mask.

The balloon woman laughed as she soared upwards, yelling out for all to hear. "I'm sure Master Zirconia is upset about it, maybe she'll forgive him this time!"

The laughter was immediately cut off by the proclamation of the very master whom the dark performers served. "Quiet! Quiet down!" Zirconia appeared in a puff of purple smoke and looked around her. "Amazon Trio, come forth."

"Master?" The trio appeared via the elemental rings that they used to teleport and bowed low to the aged sorceress.

"We cannot waste this sole chance that we get every several hundred years! The first step to world domination is to capture him… Pegasus! Be on your way!" Zirconia clenched a clawed fist. "Look through the hearts of those with beautiful dreams where he hides and capture him!"

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"I'm so sick of this!" complained Tigers-Eye, once he and the Trio retired to the Amazon Lounge Bar. "Failure this and failure that, and what's worse, that blast weed had the gall to make a scratch on my beautiful face!" Tigers-Eye brushed his cheek were a faint red line could be seen. "If it wasn't for those blasted warriors showing up…"

"You fail because you bring your personal preferences into your work." Hawks-Eye said.

"What was that?!"

"Yeah, really." Fish-Eye agreed, his attention focused more on the item in his hands.

"Some friend you are! … What are you doing?"

"Oh, this?" Fish-Eye giggled and held up a horse-saddle. "Isn't it pretty? I found it in the corner of the tent." He placed it on the table and smiled. "When I capture him I'm going to put this saddle on him and ride him!"

Tigers-Eye's mood did an instant one-eighty. "Oh, that sounds great! He'll be a wonderful ride, fitting for us!"

Hawks-Eye ignored his two fellows and picked up a photograph, smiling at the beautiful girl it showed. "Hey, a perfect girl is around!"

"What? Lemme see!" Tigers-Eye looked over the pink-haired amazon's shoulder and smiled. "Oh! She's my type, too!"

"Isn't she?" Hawks-Eye had already forgotten what he had lectured Tigers-Eye about as Fish-Eye could plainly see.

"You still have bad taste." Fish-Eye grunted, taking a sip from his glass of wine.

"What's with him?" Tigers-Eye asked. "Strange kid."

"Then the next target has been decided." Hawks-Eye said, ignoring their blue-haired associate.

"Yeah!" Tigers-Eye grinned.

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"It was… here…?" Serena looked around the small area of the park where last night's battle took place.

"There don't seem to be any clues left behind…" Ami said.

"A new enemy… a mysterious Pegasus… and some guy wearing black armor…?" Rei sounded a little bit doubtful.

"Rini, you REALLY don't know anything?" Serena asked the young girl. Rini didn't respond immediately, she was too deep in her recollection of the dream she had of when she first met the winged horse who asked, no, begged of her to keep their meeting a secret.

"No… I don't know…" Rini looked down sadly, '_I wonder if I'll see him again…_' A sudden horse's neigh startled her out of her thoughts. Shocked, and feeling more than a bit hopeful, Rini took off in the direction she heard the sound.

"Rini! Where are you going?" Serena gave chase after her with the other girls following behind. Rini pushed past a large bush just as another neigh was heard and she saw, to both her surprise and disappoint, that it was not her winged rescuer but an actual horse that was being trained in a large fenced arena specifically designed for such sports. She watched in awe as the horse was turned towards a poled-fence and urged forward at high speeds as if to jump the obstacle but either the horse or his female rider were not ready in time. The horse skidded to a halt but still managed to knock several of the poles of despite remaining on his hoofs while his rider was tossed ungraciously to the dirt.

One the rider sat up and tossed her hair back, the girls recognized as none other than, "Rita!"

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Orange eyes opened slowly, nearly glowing with the shadows of the alleyways where none, not even the slums of the city, few though they were, dared enter. An instinct born of a primordial fear of that which laid within the embrace of darkness but he had no such fear in his eyes. His were eyes that had seen too much pain, too much suffering to let something such as fear stop him. His were young eyes aged by battle and soiled by war.

Another pair opened not far from him, revealing irises more befitting a ruby for their shine. These were the eyes of an older one who had shared the young one's suffering, shoulder-to-shoulder, in a war the likes of which neither of them would ever forget though they no longer need fear of such a war ever again in this strange, new world that was slowly filling the void that their old home, decimated beyond repair, left in them. However, while these were eyes of a comrade, one could plainly see the emotion of disappointment in them.

"You were foolish," said Ruby-Eyes, his voice soft but still slightly harsh. "You could have gotten killed."

"I underestimated these… youma…" Young-Eyes tested the word, his voice slightly gruff. "I let my opponent get the best of me. It won't happen twice. It's as Father said—"

"Whatever does not kill you, makes you stronger." Ruby-Eyes interrupted, said eyes narrowing. "That means nothing if your opponent makes sure to finish the job, you know that. We are not dealing with familiar enemies here."

Orange slowly began to burn red. "Don't you dare criticize me old man. I'm not going to go running blindly into a fight."

"Oh? Then tell me of the enemy; who are they, what is it that they want, how do they attack, where can they be found, and why?"

"I don't know who, I don't know why, and I most certainly don't give a damn as to what they want. All I know is that there are attacking people, so all I care about, all that matters, is where they can be found."

"Capture?"

"Don't delude yourself, old man. You know me better than that." Young-Eyes stepped out of the shadows and into the light of the city, he looked back into the darkness, where ruby eyes stood and watched in silence. "Whatever these people are, they aren't human. That's all that matters in the end isn't it?" He turned his back on the shadows and walked on, completely unaware that he was walking straight towards where his empathy was silently telling him to go.

Ruby-Eyes sighed and walked out of the shadows himself, revealing a man in his early twenties with long blonde hair like a lion's mane and dressed as though he had stepped out of a martial-artist's arena. "Humanity, Eiji-kun, is not always a matter of being human. Your father knew this and you admired him for it… and now I see you slowly tunrSigh…" He looked up into the sky. "What is the point of being brought here if we must continue to fight? Is that all that's left for us?"

The sky gave no answer, not that Shiisa Miyrabi expected any answers.

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"One!" The wall burst upwards from the ground. "Two!" Shackles kept Rita secured and prevented any chance of escape. "Three!" With an agonized scream, Rita's dream mirror slowly form outside her torso, glinting in the afternoon light. He stood back and watched with glee before slowly moving towards her when a sudden cry made Tigers-Eye pause in his advance.

"Hold it right there!" Tigers-Eye looked behind him to see a very familiar pumpkin. Sailor Mini-Moon spoke reproachfully, with words that were virtually memorized in her heart as would be expected of a warrior of Love and Justice. "To attack a maiden by using her worries to approach her! You're pretty cheap, though you are handsome! For love and justice, a pretty solider in a sailor suit! Sailor Mini-Moon! And in the name of the future moon, I shall punish you!"

"Oh great, it's the chibi-pumpkin from the other day." Tigers-Eye unlatched his whip and lashed it onto the ground. "Come here, my Remless… Beast-Tamer, Danko!" The shadow of the Amazon warrior flashed with the symbol of the Dead Moon before stretching upwards to change into a young elfish-woman with pure white skin that was dressed rather like a ballerina though her whip spoke of her true profession.

"Yes!" Danko's whip lashed forward forcing the young Sailor Scout into the defensive as Tigers-Eye watched in pleased silence before moving back towards Rita. "Now, let's have a look at that beautiful dream shall we?"

"Please, no! Don't look at it!" Rita begged only for Tigers-Eye to shove his head inside of her dream mirror, causing untold agony upon her. "Please stop!" When Tigers-Eye pulled his head out of the mirror, the sweet oblivion of unconsciousness welcomed Rita with open arms.

_'Not again… A good dream, but he's nowhere inside it!'_ Tigers-Eye looked to see that Danko had managed to defeat Mini-Moon and was holding her down with one foot pressed tightly upon the young girl's back. "Danko, I would be troubled if this girl's beautiful dream was used by him in the future. Get rid of them both!"

"I won't let you do that!" Tigers-Eye turned and saw none other than.

"Sailor Moon!" cried Mini-Moon in relief.

"Right here! As long as there's evil in this world, I show up there like a quick delivery! For love and justice, a pretty solider in a sailor suit. I'm Sailor Moon! In the name of the moon, I shall punish you!"

Tigers-Eye looked more disgruntled then impressed by her speech, his eyes not entirely focused upon Sailor Moon. "Gross… They're pumpkins all over the place…"

"Huh? Pumpkins?" She looked beside her and saw the rest of the Inner Senshi. "Oh… you guys are here too…?"

"We were waiting at Crown, but you just didn't show up…" said a slightly peeved Sailor Mars.

"Then we thought that this was the only place you could be at." Sailor Mercury said, shrugging.

"Besides, we got a little worried about Rita ourselves," said Sailor Jupiter.

"I hate girl-talk! Especially when they're ignoring me!" complained Tigers-Eye who looked towards his Remless. "Danko!"

The Remless smiled mischeviously. "So, we will first start with introductions!" She lashed her whip forward, sending the Scouts scattering for cover, Frowning, Danko pulled her whip back to her and snap it tightly in her hands. "Come on! You have to greet the customers well!"

More than slightly annoyed with the Remless' attitude, Sailor Mars stood to the fore to unleash her attack. "This is so not my scene! Mars… Celestial Fire… SURROUND!" Eight burning rings of fire shot from her hands to which Danko only smirked.

"I have no choice. So, we will skip introductions…" With her whip, Danko managed to ensare every one of Mar's celestial fire-rings, much to the Scouts surprise, before launching them right back. "Going through the flaming hoops!" There were a few close grazes but overall the Scouts managed to dodge the return fire as Tigers-Eye laughed in the background.

"Danko! Show me a more entertaining trick next!" The Remless laughed with her master as she kicked Mini-Moon forward.

"Here! Why don't you do a trick together now!?" Danko lashed her whip forward, driving the Scouts to her suit her commands as she called out, "A standard act… the French cancan! Dance, dance, dance!"

A sound loud roar like that of a demonized motorcycle was heard and before anyone could pause to wonder of the sound's origin, it made itself known. Launching forward from atop the hill and blazing down like a flaming comet was a motorcycle that was virtually aflame as it reached speeds no ordinary bike could possess. It burst through the chainlinked fence of the grounds and slammed straight into the shocked Danko, who was sent flying by the blow. The bike skidded to a halt and revealed its design to be that of a seemingly ordinary motorcycle. A ordinary motorcycle whose head was shaped like a demonic dinosaur with exhaust pipes that practically flushed neon blue fire.

However, it was not the ride that had everyone's attention.

It was the Rider,

"Gojira!" gasped both Moon Scouts in shock. The black-clad Rider didn't even acknowledge them and kept his sights firmly lock on Tigers-Eye.

"No more games." Kamen Rider Gojira climbed off his bike and slowly strode forward, raising his G-Force Cannon which was already aglow with energy.

"The weed now? Where do all these weirdo's keep coming from?" Tigers-Eye asked himself, a deep frown on his face. He focused once more on the black Rider. "Come to lose again?"

That actually put a pause in Gojira's stride. "What?"

Tigers-Eye smirked, thinking that he had gotten a rise out of Gojira. "As I recall, I soundly won our last fight by getting your shadow tied to a tree."

Gojira's shoulders began to tremble, to which Tigers-Eye smiled only to frown in confusion. Gojira wasn't mad or upset, nor was he afraid. The way Gojira was acting to his taunt put Tigers-Eye on edge, as though he had suddenly thought the Rider had snapped and, for all appearances, it looked like he had. Gojira wasn't shaking in anger or in fear, he was shaking because he was acting as though he found Tigers-Eye's taunt to be the most amusing thing he'd ever heard.

In other words, Gojira was laughing.

"What's so funny?" Tigers-Eye was more than a little put-out by Gojira's reaction.

The Scouts were acting similarly though for a different reason. While Mini-Moon was too young to really learn of it, and having come from a time where such things were near forgotten, she could not recognize the strange symbol adorning Gojira's back, between his shoulders. Sailor Moon, for her part, had not noticed it due to the limited light in the dark and, to be fair, the symbol's coloring made it hard to be seen on Gojira's dull silver armor. However, with the sun shining just so, every one of the Sailor Scouts could plainly see the mark on his back.

The symbol of nuclear energy.

Gojira shook his head, still chuckling slightly. "You. You really are weak and foolish to not have even realized the truth." He raised a hand and pointed straight at the Amazon. "I was testing your strength, Weakling! When last we fought, I wasn't even using half of my power against you!"

"What?!" Tigers-Eye backed up a step. "You're lying! No one would willingly lose a fight!"

"Ah, the first smart thing you've said." Gojira nodded. "Yes, I did put you far lower than you actually are, but as my father said, 'What does not kill you, only serves to make you stronger.' By fighting me, I've learned how you fight, but using your powers against me, I have gained new strength. You will not win a second time." Gojira reached down to grasp the saurian-head adorning his left wrist. "Cast-On."

"CAST-ON!" An electronic voice echoed as Gojira turned the head of his K-Zector around a complete 180 degrees. There was a flash of light that blinded Tigers-Eye and the Scouts. Once they were able to see again, they saw that there was now a row of holographic, crystalline spines running down Gojira's back and a large serpentine tail that waved in the air behind him. The spines and tail both were a brilliant silver color though they were translucent and his nuclear symbol faintly aglow with the same light.

"CHANGE KAIJU OKAMI!"

Gojira made to move forward only to stop as Danko's whip lashed at his feet. Turning his head, Gojira saw that the Remless had managed to recover from his first strike, though her custome and bruises spoke of the pain she still felt. Already aware of the danger that could be wrought from not finishing off the Remless, Gojira turned his back upon Tigers-Eye and charge forward without a word, fist held up to catch Danko's whip and pull it out of her hands.

Once he reached striking distance, Gojira spun for a tail-strike, which hit the Remless with surprising force. However, she was more prepared this time and used the trees to rebound back towards the Black Rider. Gojira's hand passed quickly over his K-Zector as Danko drew near, her whip flashing towards him. He grabbed it and pulled, pleased the Danko hadn't lost her grip on it and was pulled closer towards him, his a clenched fist at ready for a fierce uppercut. She never saw the attack coming as Gojira's cannon met with her chin as he roared. "_ATOMIC BEAM!_" A thick beam of radiation concentrated to such a fine degree that it was plain to see on the visible spectrum, burst out from Gojira's cannon.

Danko never knew what hit her.

As her headless body toppled back into shadows, Gojira was already up from and turning to fire another a small burst of fire at Tigers-Eye, his senses telling him of the Amazon's fear and desire for escape. The blast just missed as Tigers-Eye flipped into the ring of fire that teleported him out of sight and the fireball itself following him just as before the ring could vanish. The unconscious Rita fell to the ground as her mirror returned to her and her bonds vanished into thin air.

Gojira moved towards the comatose woman only to have Mars and Venus stand in his path.

"Do-Don't you dare come any closer!" said Venus while Mars took a fighting stance in case Gojira decided to use force.

Instead, the Kamen Rider merely paused and glanced at the two before looking past them to see that Mercury was already kneeled down beside Rita, her visor on over her eyes and her fingers tapping away at her computer. "If you that confident in your medical scanner, I won't impede you." He turned towards his bike only to see Sailors Moon, Mini-Moon, and Jupiter standing between him and his ride.

"You're not going anyway just yet," said Jupiter. "We have questions."

"To which answers you'll have to find on your own." Gojira said sharply. "I haven't the time to train a bunch of rookie soldiers."

"Hey!" exclaimed Mars, quite angry with Gojira's assumption and dismissal. "We're not rookies pal!"

"So your record says and yet here I've had to intervene not once but twice and I've not seen what makes you wise enough to handle this enemy of yours."

"So he's not your enemy then?" asked Venus. "Are you a third groupie?"

"Party, Venus…" Jupiter muttered under her breath.

Gojira paused for a moment to consider. "No. I am not his ally nor am I your's. I've seen videos of your powers and I know that you are strong enough to hold your own against these… Remless… but you know nothing of your enemy or their plans and that makes this a very dangerous situation." He suddenly looked towards Mini-Moon. "Even more so if you've stooped so low as to have a child fight your battles with you."

The girls flinched at that, suddenly realizing how Mini-Moon would appear to someone like Gojira, who took fighting very seriously it seemed. Mini-Moon herself was furious at the way the black Rider talked about her as though she wasn't there.

"Hey! I'm a Sailor Scout too! I've fought my share of bad-guys!" Mini-Moon stomped forward until she had to look up at Gojira to see his masked face.

Gojira stared into her eyes and snorted. He kneeled down so he was eye-level with her. "Did you ever kill anyone?"

"Wha-What?" Mini-Moon gasped, her face paling.

Gojira raised his right hand, claws up. "I've killed with these hands. So have they, as I have seen and can sense in them, but you? What have you ever done? You've helped kill a monster or two, well that's good for you." He spoke as though he was merely discussing the weather. "But you've never had to kill something that wasn't born a monster have you? An innocent person that never meant to become a monster but whom you could not save because it was already too late to save the person. All you could do was kill the monster and grant the innocent mercy with a quick, and painless death. When you have had to murder innocent people to slay the monsters they'd become, then can you truly place yourself on my level."

Gojira stood and shrugged past the stunned Scouts to his ride but stopped before getting on. "You say that you are soldiers of love and justice, but you know nothing of actual war. Of constantly being aware of the fact that the next battle could be your last, that one more person has to die to save countless others, nor have you ever felt the despair of losing a comrade-in-arms. Soldiers. Heh, don't make me laugh." Gojira went astride his motorcycle and looked back at the girls. "I admire your tenacity but there will come a time where you'll have to choose between those that can and can't be saved. You can pray for that time to never come but it will do you know good.

"War is always inevitable."

With a roar of his motorcycle, Gojira took off only bothering to look back once not at the Sailor Scouts as a whole but at one specifically. He knew not how nor why but his instincts were telling him that somehow, in someway or another, he recognized them all on a certain level but it was that one that stood out beyond the others.

But for the life of him, Gojira could not figure out why it was Sailor Jupiter that made him feel this way.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So what do you think so far?" asked Eiji as he and the others of his group sat on the opposite side of the Crown Plaza Restaurant as a certain pair of lover reconciled.

"I think they're being idiotic." Takuya snorted.

"I did not mean those two." Eiji said.

Takuya smirked. "Who said anything about those two? I was referring to them."

"Aren't you both being a little harsh on them?" asked Morisato. "This world is an entirely different place than what we're used to with a whole different type of enemy that, aside from poking their heads into someone's… what'd ya call it? Dream Mirror? They're essentially easy to take care of."

"But both times he's ordered for the victim to be killed lest that unicorn end up seeking refuge in that person's dream." Eiji reminded him.

"I change my mind," muttered Takuya, "You all are idiotic. Dream Mirrors? Really, have we sunk so low as to actually believe this hocus-pocus shit?"

"How else do you explain it? I mean, these people haven't even made the iPod yet for cryin' out loud!" exclaimed Morisato. "And let's not forget their history either! Not a single one that wasn't some cheap sci-fi film character anyway. No monsters, no Crystal Incursion. No crystals, no Critical Mass."

"Of which we can be thankful about later," said Eiji. "For now, I'm going to enjoy this… peace, with Lita. See ya."

"Oy, oy!" Morisato quickly followed after him. "Wait up! Can't waste any chance I get with Water Sprite!"

Takuya watched them both with a mixture of disgust before his eyes fell towards one of the girls. He uttered a foul oath under his breath and, silently cursing himself along the way, made way to join his two comrades.

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To Be Continued...

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Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_Mina:_ Are we ever going to get a break? Not only has our enemy tried to destroy Mrs. Tsukino's beautiful dream, but Pegasus appears to give Mini-Moon and Sailor Moon a new burst of Super Power! What? Molly's going to break up with Melvin? For a guy who only has three months left to live? Oh no! Poor Melvin! Hey, what's with the wind and who's the hunk in red? What?! Another Kamen Rider?!

A New Attack for the Moon Duo; The Samurai of the Sky Arrives!

* * *

Author's Notes: 

I just thought I'd let ya'll know a little bit about the idea behind the Cast-On System used by my Kamen Riders since I doubt many can wait until the identities of the Riders are revealed to the Scouts. The Cast-On System works very much like the Cast-Off found in KR: Kabuto save for the fact that instead of casting off armor, the Rider cast on pieces of the beast their armor is connected towards, as you'll soon see. The Cast-On is varied Rider to Rider but does share similar traits in that they're all hard-light holograms.

I actually got this idea from Kamen Rider Kabuto and an extremely shortlived comic series called Wildsiderz which featured a group of teenagers that used hard-light hologram tech to gain physical properties of certain animals. For example, one gained the forearms, and legs, of a gorilla and thus gained the same physical strength and agility of said beastie. In short, whatever the hologram was based on would graft itself upon the person so that the wearer would gain similar, and sometimes enhanced, traits to match that of the creature.

Confused? Don't worry folks, after the primary Riders are introduced, I'll reveal all the secrets of the K-Zector, the Riders, the Crystal Incursion, and the feared Critical Mass.


	5. The Samurai of the Sky Arrives!

Me: Okay guys, ready for your reviews?

Muses: Yes!

Me: Then let's get started!

Bahamut: Pokemon Trainer; Good choice if you're one to change your mind about fighting styles and always keeps your opponent on their toes. That and the Pokemon don't tire out as fast as one would think. In other words, HIT HARD AND FAST!

Poupoko: (Pit is one of the better swordsmen in the game and has the added bonus of being able to 'fly'. MetaKnight is okay, but most of his B-Moves cost you the chance to land safely.)

Mewtwo: Though I am loathe to admit it, Lucario is a decent replacement of myself though he does get knocked about easily by heavy hitters. His rip-off of the Kamehaha Wave is an added bonus.

Me: Sonic has got the speed to make a hit-and-run look like a tap on the hand! Though it's hard to KO heavy-weights, he has enough agility to get in and out before guys like Bowser knows what hits him! As for Solid Snake..

Everyone: HE STINKS!

Me: Too slow.

Bahamut: No power in his moves.

Mewtwo: Most of them backfire back at him anyway.

Poupoko: (And he can barely jump/dodge!)

Me: And you my boy? What do you got to say about Smash Brothers Brawl?

Adrian: Kirby, cool!

Kirby: (blushes) Poyo.

* * *

**DISCLAIMERS: Don't own what's not my own.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

A New Attack for the Double Moon; The Samurai of the Sky Arrives!

"So your stomped out of your house after that?" asked Rei, "And over something as petty as a slice of lemon pie?" The girls were at their usual hangout at Crown Station's fruit parlor restaurant and were listening to Serena's recount of her fight, if one could call it that, with her mother. Rei shook her head. "It's just like you, Serena…" 

"That's not it!" exclaimed Serena. "It's not the first time that Rini's taken stuff that I've saved for later. Like my chunky strawberry chocolate, over-delicious rice crackers… and the chocolate crunch cookies!" 

"They're all the same kind of food I notice." Mina sweatdropped. 

Rei sighed and closed her eyes. "I'm so disgusted I don't know what to say…" 

"They say grudges involving food are really scary…" said Lita, silently wishing her boyfriend was around. He always seemed to have a wise word or two to share even though they came from his father. But Eiji was off searching for a summer job, though Lita knew not why. Something about the words not being enough, whatever that meant. Lita sighed at the sight of Serena looking close to tears. '_Three, two…_' 

"But Mama always favors Rini… She thinks Rini is more precious than I am, I'm sure of it!" And with that, Serena really did begin to cry. '_One._' 

"Oh what the hell kind of stupidity did I have the luck of running into today?" A familiar voice asked. The girls turned to see Takuya standing by the entrance of the parlor, umbrella in hand and a frown on his face, which soon turned into a fierce scowl as Serena's words replayed themselves in his head. "What the hell kind of bullshit is this? What parent in their right mind would choose one child over the other?" 

He pulled a chair over with his foot and sat directly across from the pigtailed blonde. "Look, I ain't into the whole morals crap like Eiji and I don't pretty up the situation like the midget, I say what I mean just as I mean what I say. And I say that you are being idiotic." Ignoring the glares he was getting from the other girls, Takuya reached over and lifted up Serena's chin so that she was looking him in the eyes. "Listen to me, there ain't no mother out there that doesn't love her children, no matter when they were born or what gender they are. I used to hate my little sister like you wouldn't believe all because my mother dotted on her like she was made of glass. 

"As it was, my sister was less than half my age and with all that was happening, there was a higher chance of my sister dying than I, being trained as I am in the martial arts. Your mother may pay attention to Pinky more than she does to you, but look at it from a mother's standpoint will ya? You have what, two? Three kids, all at different ages? You're going to treat them differently because they need to be. You treat them accordingly but if there's one thing that doesn't change is a parent's love." 

Takuya released his grip on Serena's chin and stood, looking out towards the streets and sighed irritablely. "Damn it, I'm to be late if this shit keeps up. Oh the hell with it. See ya, Meatball-Head." Takuya left without another word, leaving behind a stunned/surprised group of girls. 

"Oh he's totally hot!" exclaimed Mina. 

And one lovestruck blonde… 

However, had but one of the girls looked just down the stairs that led up to the parlor, they would have seen Takuya walking towards home, his umbrella closed and clutched tight in his hand. His head bowed low and with his long hair falling past his eyes, one could not tell for sure if it was raindrops falling down his face… 

Or tears. 

--

"Twice in a row you've failed to woo a woman." Fish-Eye took a sip from his glass. "Have you lost your touch, Tigers-Eye?" 

"Don't be stupid. If those Sailor Scouts hadn't shown up, I would've—" 

"Ah but what about this, what did he call himself? Ah yes, Kamen Rider Gojira?" Hawks-Eye's smile was a tad bit feral. "Master Zirconia was not pleased by the damage his weapon had done to the tent." 

Tigers-Eye clutched his glass tightly to try and keep himself from shivering. What did Hawks-Eye know? He hadn't seen how effortlessly the masked biker had taken out his Remless. It wasn't the strongest he had at his call but the way that Gojira had destroyed her, without hesitation and such seemingly merciless means… Tigers-Eye honestly doubted he'd win the next fight unscathed, and a victory won by losing his looks was no victory at all. 

"Oh well, maybe it's your technique that could use a little help." Hawks-Eye wiggled his fingers over the pile of photographs on the bar table. "It's best to approach them with kind words, and fool them!" He snatched one up and smiled at the woman portrayed on its filmy surface. 

"Oh Hawks-Eye." Tigers-Eye shook his head. "You still have a thing for older women?" 

Hawks-Eye shook his head and smirked. "You don't get it do you? Older women are more accepting and therefore are better to fool around with!" He looked down at the picture and licked his lips. "I'll show you the killer-technique of mine. Just watch me." 

--

He stood in the shadows of the trees the entire time that it took place, watching as the strange man, who for no reason that he comprehend, annoyed him greatly. This of course was not taking into account of the man's attack against the woman. That just pissed him off. However, contrary to what many thought of him to be, he was not one to go charging straight into a battle without any idea as to what he was up against. 

That, and so called warriors of love and justice, plus some strange individual dressed in a caped tuxedo and eye-mask, seemed to have everything under control up until the man, Hawks-Eye if he recalled correctly, summoned a creature from his own shadow. '_So that's a Remless huh? Commander was right, they're seems to be a connection between them but what aside from the method of summoning?_' He watched as the Remless attacked like a human cannonball and was more than amused at its obvious frustration at the girls constant dodging. 

He was impressed by the young child's vigilance but was confused by her words. Second mother? Was she somehow connected to the Tsukino family and, if so, how? But he brushed that thought aside and waited somewhat impatiently to see if these girls could actually manage on their own. So far, he was not impressed. There were several instances that any one of them could have struck the cannonball-like Remless, though she proved to have a though body if she could withstand those impacts without so much as a scratch on her. '_At the very least,_' he thought to himself. '_They could take out her damn cannon! Women, no common sense whatsoever!_' 

He watched as Hawks-Eye blocked Sailor Moon's attack with but one hand and frowned. If what he had read was true, Sailor Moon's attacks was often the finishing move and could 'moondust' anything in its path. Was this Hawks-Eye and his accomplice Tigers-Eye that strong? 

Or was it that the Sailor Scouts were too weak? 

He gripped the hilt of his katana and frowned, it looked as though he would have to interfere after all. Whatever Hawks-Eye was looking for in Miss Tsukino's dreams wasn't there and he had ordered his Remless to finish her and the Scouts off. A sudden shift in the wind drew his eyes upwards and he frowned, why was there suddenly an aurora in the sky? He looked down and watched as both Moon Scouts called out, "Moon Crisis, Action!" and transform into their 'Super Sailor' forms. He raised an eyebrow and glanced once more towards the sky, hearing the winds change and shift as though it were dancing with some unseen friend. 

The two scepters of the Sailor Duo rose into the air and shifted in shape and form; Mini-Moon's becoming a bell with a heart-shaped ring attached to it while Sailor Moon's own become a strange rod which looked to be made of kaleidoscopic glass. 

"Please, Pegasus! Protect people's dreams!" He watched as Sailor Mini-Moon knelt down and prayed before suddenly standing and ringing the bell. He twitched, his grip tightening on his sword. He never forgot a sound, especially musical sounds, but he could not recall as to why the sound of the bell's chime was striking strings of memory. "Twinkle Yell!" 

The orb of light exploded outwards and revealed itself to be none other than Pegasus. As Mini-Moon instructed Sailor Moon on the use of her new weapon, his eyes were drawn once more to the Remless, who was already in her lit cannon and was aimed straight at Mrs. Tsukino. With everyone so focused on both Pegasus and the new powers of the Moon Pair, no one took notice of a change in the wind that cut through the air like a spinning scythe, slicing the fuse of the Remless' cannon. 

"_Moon Gorgeous… Meditation_!" A crystallized ball of light shot out from Sailor Moon's Kaleido-MoonScope and flew through the air like shards of an actual kaleidoscope. Upon striking the Remless, the shards imploded upon themselves, again like a kaleidoscope, and destroyed everything of the Remless save for its shadow which soon disappeared after the symbol upon its head disappeared. He frowned, that wasn't something that was mentioned about the first two attacks… 

"To think that you had this much power after all…" Hawks-Eye backflipped into a ring dusted wind and disappeared from sight, earning a sharp glare from he who hid in the shadows. '_Teleportation…? Or gate-transferance?_' His frown deepened. '_I'll have to speak with Midoriko._' 

"From now on, whenever you need my powers raise that Crystal Carillon and call my name… I will be here…" Pegasus raised his head and looked seemingly towards the moon before disappearing with sparkles of light. He didn't bother to stay anymore after that, he was too busy leaping through the trees with the winds pushing him forward. He had to report back immediately, this was an emergency! How had he known?! 

_"Protect them as I would… Kamen Rider." _

--

**_The Next Day, shortly after noon… _**

"Only three months left to live? That's rather dramatic for a beginning." Serena noted. 

"It sounds like a soap opera." Rei stated. 

"But… who is this guy?" asked Ami. Molly looked uncomfortably at the ground. 

"I'm not really sure…" 

"And?" Lita raised an eyebrow at the smaller girl's discomfort. "You did tell him that you won't be his girlfriend, right?" Nursing skills aside, Lita could not picture anyone dumping their significant other for someone who merely wanted a relationship during their last days. It wasn't fair to any of the parties involved, a sentiment that she'd soon find that her own boyfriend agreed on. 

"But… actually…" 

"You didn't!? exclaimed Lita. 

"Well…" 

"But what are you going to do with Melvin?" asked Mina. 

"I did tell him that I already had a boyfriend… But he said it would only be for three months…" 

"Molly, love and sympathy are two different things." Rei said. 

"I am aware of that but I… I just felt so sorry for him and I couldn't just say no." 

"Molly," said Eiji rising to his feet to stand beside Lita. "Such a relationship, no matter the time limit, can never possibly work out. Have you even considered that this guy might be lying to you or that, if he isn't, he'll want you there beside him when he dies?" Molly looked even more uncomfortable and looked ready to cry. Eiji sighed and shook his head. "Father said this, 'The more you give of yourself, the richer you become.' However, he also said 'There's nothing like the real thing'. If you do decide to be this man's girlfriend, can you honestly make it work for those three months without causing pain to both you and Melvin?" 

"I think… I'm going to go home now… Bye-bye!" Without so much as a backward glance, Molly ran towards the temple stairs and disappeared from sight. 

"It seems like… we depressed her," said Mina. 

"Maybe I was too hard on her…" Rei said, looking a bit ashamed. Eiji huffed. 

"No one in this situation can escape with their heart intact. She stays with Melvin, and this man dies with a broken heart. She breaks it off with Melvin and pretends to be this man's girlfriend, Melvin will be crushed and Molly will as well once the man dies. Either way, there'll be heartbreak involved." 

"You sound like you know from experience." Lita said, her eyebrow raised in suspicion. She had never bothered to ask Eiji his dating history just as he never did the same to her but now she was starting to wonder… 

"I have, from Takuya's past relations…" Eiji shook his head. "It's not my place to talk about it." He glanced at Lita out of the corner of his eye. "Honestly, you're my first girlfriend Lita. Hopefully, you shall be my last as well." 

Lita, not knowing how to respond to that, chose to blush and play with her fingers, ignoring her friends' snickering as best as she could. 

"But, there's something fishy about this, you can't disagree on that. I have a bad feeling." Ami said. 

'_As do I, Ami…_' Eiji looked towards the temple stairs, his empathy just barely picking up the girls around him and faint trickles from his friends. '_As do I…_' 

"I'll go see how Molly is doing!" Serena ran off after Molly without another word, heedless of Rei's lame attempt of stopping her. 

"I think we should follow Serena, guys." 

"Right." Ami agreed. 

"Hey! Wait for me!" Mina called after the two. Lita looked up at her boyfriend who shook his head but smiled somewhat amusedly. 

"I've always wanted to play 007. Let's get going." 

--

Takuya yawned tiredly to himself, he really shouldn't have bothered staying up so late but hey, he got the useless crap out of the way so his day was free. Of course, his day was remarkably short considering he had slept until noon As far as he was concerned, he had absolutely nothing to worry about. Save for the sobbing asshole that nearly shoved him into the street! 

"Hey! I'm walking here, damn it!" Takuya called after the sobbing boy and huffed when he kept on running. "Damn crybabies. What the hell happened to him to act like such a wuss?" he wondered. Shrugging, he kept on walking, idly waving a hand as the wind gently blew past him. "Damn I've been itching for something to do around her. Peace is good and all but damn it, I need some kind of action around here. My sword's gonna rust at this rate." Takuya sighed. "Might actually have to ask the midget for help in finding a decent swords master around here." 

He suddenly stopped and flinched. '_The hell? What was that?_' He looked around him and frowned. Like Eiji, his own powers were being heavily suppressed; he was lucky if he could make a decent enough wind to keep a kite off the ground for any length of time. However, whenever there was a strong enough disturbance, and he was already close by, Takuya could sense a sudden change in the air, but not once had he felt such a strange vibration. 

It was as though something had just appeared out of nowhere and the very winds surrounding it were not pleased by its sudden arrival. Takuya looked towards where he had felt the disturbance and suddenly began to smile a most feral smile that spoke of a wish coming true. '_No more watching, it's time to kick some ass!_' 

--

"Juggle, juggle, I like to juggle!" Tigers-Eye's Remless, Otedamako, smiled as she juggled eleven balls all at once before suddenly throwing them towards Sailor Moon who frantically tried to keep the balls from touching the ground. 

"Wah! I don't want something like this! Someone help me!" She quickly turned towards her young protégé and began to juggle them with her, much to her own dismay. 

"Ah! Stop it!" It was of no surprise that their juggling balls fell to the ground. The explosions, on the other hand, were quite so. 

"Here, here, here!" The mad juggler giggled and tossed flaming pins towards the two Scouts, who screamed bloody murder as they dodged the flaming projectiles. 

"This is NUTS!" screamed Sailor Moon. 

"What are we going to do… we need help…" whispered Sailor Mini-Moon. Her eyes widened as she remembered Pegasus' words to her from yesterday's battle. She reached down to grab her bell when a sudden sound of a yell drew her attention above her. She looked up just in time to see a blazing red figure fly above her and land with a sound of a blade being drawn. The flaming torches were thrown skywards as a large gust of wind burst out from the unsheathed blade. The figure stood to reveal himself to not be the familiar Kamen Rider Gojira, but a whole new Rider altogether. 

He stood tall, at least a foot taller than Gojira, and his leotard was colored a dark goldenrod while the armor itself was a dark red. His helmet was shaped like a pteradactyl's head with not one but two crests jutting out from the top. His dark gray hair fell past his shoulders and was tied into a ponytail that wavered in the wind that seemed to constantly surround him. His visor was shaped like the wings of a pterosaur and was a vibrant blue. Strapped to his left wrist was a device that was also shaped like a pair of wings while his right hand held a serrated katana. 

"What the-Who the hell are you!? screamed Tigers-Eye, obviously frustrated at the sight of another Rider, one being more than enough for him. 

"I have been given many titles." Like Gojira, his voice was electronically distorted tough that didn't keep the arrogance out of it. "Samurai of the Sky, the Super Sonic Warrior. By my comrades, I am called Kamen Rider Rodan. By my enemies, I am called their executioner." He sheathed his sword and reached to the K-Zector on his wrist and turned it around. "Cast-On." 

"CAST-ON!" With a flash of blinding light, Rodan stood proud with his armored boots now bedecked with the hologram of a pterosaur's feet while the wings on his back flapped lightly. The holograms were a dull shade of red but did not appear too threatening. 

"CHANGE SORA BUSHI!" 

Rodan reached down once more to his K-Zector and pressed down upon it. A flow of energy raised through his arms and the holo-wings on his back. He reached down and grabbed the hilt of his sword even as Otedamako matched him with an array of sharp throwing knives. 

"LOOOOOOOK UUUUUUUUUP!" cried the Remless. 

"_SONIC-WINDING SLASH!_" 

With a blink of an eye, Rodan was suddenly gone and, thinking he had gone invisible, Otedamako attempted to throw her knives when she suddenly found her strength gone. Before she could puzzle this further, she was suddenly knocked completely off her feet and thrown into the bushes. Rodan stood just a foot behind where she was standing, his sword held out perpendicular to him and the twin jets on his back letting out huge clouds of steam as they cooled. Once he heard the sound of more than one piece of her fall to the ground before she faded back into a shadow did the red Rider sheathe his sword and turn towards Tigers-Eye. Crossing his arms, one could almost see the smirk on his face. 

"Just goes to show that one shouldn't send in a woman to do a man's job." 

It was rather fortunate that all the females in hearing distance were not able to hear at all, their hearing knocked temporarily knocked out by the sonic boom generated by Rodan's attack. Tigers-Eye looked absolutely furious and was even more so at Rodan's next words. 

"For a grounder, you did pick a good spot to lay down your trap." Rodan looked around them. "Nice wide space, no trees or low overhangs. The perfect place to catch a flyer. Still, I don't know just what you had planned on using to capture the thing, but nothing you got will work. Ain't gonna happen." 

"What," snarled Tigers-Eye, "do you mean by that?" 

"The unicorn, Pegasus, whatever you want to call it, is not of our world, but then again neither are you. However," Rodan unsheathed his sword and pointed its tip towards Tigers-Eye. "Unlike him, materials of this plane of existence can hurt you, perhaps even kill you. So? You ready to meet your maker?" Tigers-Eye obviously wasn't for he quickly backflipped into his ring of fire and disappeared. "Che, coward." 

He turned towards the two Sailors and called over to them. "Oy! Women!" 

"What?" Sailor Moon asked, not actually hearing him. Mini-Moon did however. 

"Hey! I'm no woman, I'm a lady warrior of—" 

"Save it for someone who gives a damn." Rodan interrupted. "Look, I ain't here to chat it up with you two. I'm here to deliver you a message from Gojira. The Commander says he's impressed with how you were able to defeat that last Remless on your own thanks to horsey-boy. Which reminds me…" He walked over to the duo and leaned down to flick Mini-Moon's forehead. 

"Ow! What'd you do that for!? 

"Take a look around next time, girl. Recognize a trap before you decide to risk your friend's life again, eh? I might not be around next time to look out for your horse." Rodan turned and began to walk away, spreading his wings, when Sailor Moon suddenly called out to him. 

"Are there other Riders? Does this mean you'll help us?" 

Rodan paused but didn't look back as he answered her. "I ain't at liberty to tell you just how many of us there are, just be satisfied in knowing that there's enough. As for working with you, that's the Commander's choice. I don't give a damn so long as I can keep restoring my clan's honor." 

"How can we trust you?" asked Sailor Mini-Moon, Gojira's words still hurting her. "You could be trying to fool us into thinking you're our friends just to get at Pegasus!" 

"I always say what I mean just as I mean what I say. If I were really against you, I would not have made sure to keep the winds from breaking you down and let you die where you stood. Women, pains in the neck, the whole lot of them." Without another word, Rodan flew upwards and soon disappeared from sight, a sonic boom echoing in the horizon. Both Sailor Scouts looked after his departing form in silence, both wondering whether there were more Riders than just him and Gojira and if they truly would become friends. One pair of eyes, feline in nature, did not watch the Rider as he flew away, but were focused on the ground instead with a frown of frustration on a small, furry muzzle. 

'_I say what I mean just as I mean what I say…? Now where have I heard those words before?_' Luna thought to herself. '_Just who are these Kamen Riders?_' 

--

To Be Continued..

--

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_Ami:_ After mistakenly thinking that Darien was cheating on Serena with an older woman, I discover that she's actually his mechanic who is also a widow… Perhaps if I help her finish fixing the car she and her husband were working on together, I can help her achieve her own dreams. Oh no! Morisato! What are you doing here? You work here? Oh my… and another Kamen Rider appears too, just who are they and are they truly on our side? 

Drive Towards Heaven; Arrival of the Shield

* * *


	6. Arrival of the Shield

Me: Yo, don't have to much to say this time around but I do have a bit of a spoiler. In the next chappie, we'll finally learn just how the Kamen Riders Daikaiju arrived in the world of Sailor Moon.

Bahamut: What do you mean we? You, of all people, should know!

Me: Ahehehehe... well, I had to consult with an expert on the subject of interdimensional/chronological travel...

Mewtwo: Who?

Me: Exactly! Dang, Mewtwo, you are a mind-reader!

Poupoko: (... Let's just start the fic shall we?)

**

* * *

****DISCLAIMERS: Don't own what's not my own.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

Drive Towards Heaven; Arrival of the Shield

Ami typed away at her laptop for some time before sighing and closing her eyes, massaging the bridge between her nose. She had spent the last several hours going over the data she had collected from the previous fight and all it resulted was more questions than answers, though those few answers she did discover were worth the trouble. She typed in a command on her computer and watched as Gojira activated the holograms that gave him a tail and dorsal plates. Everything about those holograms suggested that that was all they were, enhanced light effects that could not possibly affect the real world but that was obviously not the case. His… tail she supposed, had all the strength such an appendage would and then some.

But that was nothing compared to the attack he used to destroy the Remless.

When she had seen the mark on his back, Ami had immediately activated her visor, her Mercury Computer in her hands. Gojira's finisher had such a high concentration of radioactivity that her computer nearly blew trying to gauge the power of the attack. What was really strange though was that there was not a speck of radioactivity on her or anyone else. Even the area where Gojira had fired his cannon was free of it. It was almost as though the energy had been reabsorbed somehow but by who, or what, Ami didn't know.

What really bothered her though was the purpose of the Kamen Riders, or rather, what they were created for in the first place. Ami had it narrowed down to three ideas. One, they were created as the government's response towards the Sailor Scouts, which was rather unlikely since public support of them was so high. Two, they were created to combat the Sailor Scouts' newest enemy but this too was unlikely. Both Gojira and Rodan knew next to nothing of the enemy and even less about Pegasus. Three, they were made for an entirely different threat that, to compare the powers of the Senshi and the Riders for a moment, was entirely out of the Scouts' league.

Whatever their reason was, Ami knew that she needed a breath of fresh air, perhaps a nice walk to the library was in order.

* * *

The girls watched in a mix of awe and shock as their brainy friend continued to work on the old car that Darien's mechanic seemed to be trying to restore. What was most surprising though was the fact that not only was Ami working part-time at the repair shop, one Morisato Akichi was also employed there and was using every available opportunity in both flirting and teasing the bluenette.

"Hey, Sprite!" Morisato called from beneath the old car. "Can you hand me a socket wrench please? I've got a bolt here that's screaming to get loose."

"Here you go, Morisato-san." Ami leaned down and handed the wrench to Morisato's hand, earning a grunt in reply.

"Sprite, call me Mori. Please, I'm on my back here."

As the group of girls continued their secret vigil, another male was slowly approaching on his own vehicle. He cut the engine and silently rolled his vehicle forward until he was standing beside the entryway of the repair shop.

"Darien was right," said Mina.

"I can see Morisato working here, but Ami of all people…" Rei said in disbelief.

"That explains how Eiji-kun's bike is so well-kept," Lita said. "He's had Mori-kun repairing it."

"Amongst other things yes." Said Eiji, slipping off his helmet and smiling as the girls jumped in surprise only to have to struggle with the large towers of tires.

"Eiji-kun! Don't scare us like that!" Lita scolded. Eiji smirked and shook his head, completely unrepetent.

"I'm not the one spying on my friend now am I?" Eiji smiled and looked towards the bluenette. "Mori-kun's spoken well of Ami's skills on machinery, I'm surprised that you girls find it so odd."

"Not so much odd as it is weird." Mina muttered.

"But it doesn't look like she's working unwillingly, though." Rini said.

"I just wonder what started the sudden change," said Serena.

"Oh, Serena?" Another familiar male voice spoke from behind the group. Serena tilted back to see Darien sitting in his car watching her with a look of bemusement on his face. "What are you doing here, of all places?"

"Oh hi there, Darien!" Serena waved her hand excitedly at Darien, completely forgetting that she was helping hold up the tires. Eiji, however, did not and was quick to pull Lita out of the way just as the tires came crashing down upon the girls.

"You didn't have to do that," said Lita, looking up into Eiji's eyes, a faint flush on her cheeks from the close contact. His arms were wrapped tight around her waist and though she'd deny it, Lita did like being 'rescued', even if it was something as small as a tire-collapse.

"I wouldn't be much of a boyfriend if I don't watch out for my girl now would I?" Eiji asked, his own face mirroring Lita's flush as he released her and looked over towards where Morisato was watching in complete amusement. "Not a word out of you, Morisato."

"Will someone please get us out of here!" cried the four other girls that were buried beneath the tires.

* * *

"Darien is having an affair?" Rei asked with her usual bluntness, earning a large spittake from Serena. Darien blinked and wiped the tea out of his eyes with a handkerchief.

"It's not an affair… Right?" He looked down at Morisato's boss for help, only to step back as both Serena and Rini verbally assaulted him.

"What do you mean, Darien?!"

"Yeah. Even though Serena is a slow klutz that hangs all over you and gets in your way," said Rini, only to be interrupted by said klutz.

"What was that you little—"

"I had thought you would be different from the others, Darien." Lita said, her voice frosty. Eiji didn't need to ask nor did he care to. He was giving Darien a glare of his own, silently wishing his empathy wasn't on the blink. He'd have to touch Darien in order to read his feelings and that, quite frankly, would be both too obvious and a little weird.

"In the end all men are that…" Mina whispered into Rei's ear, earning a nod from her and a glare from Eiji and Morisato.

"Hey now," said Mori. "I don't know who's been telling you these crazy stories, but Ms. Natsumi is Darien's mechanic. It's not Sprite-chan's fault that she got the wrong idea."

"Yes, yes!" Ami agreed, ignoring Mori's nickname for her in favor of fixing the situation. "I had misunderstood the situation, that's all!"

"Well, I was really caught in a jam that day," said Darien. "All Natsumi did was that she brought my car that she repaired back to my house, since she was giving it a test drive and I live only a few blocks from here." Darien smiled and held up his car key, which, if one didn't inspect it, did look rather like a house key.

"Then, what Ami saw and thought was the key to your house…" said Lita.

"Was your car key," finished Eiji, nodding. "Didn't think you were the kind of guy who goes behind his girl's back. Not after the way Serena goes on about you."

"I'm so sorry…" said Ami, blushing a bright pink.

"Ah, forget it Ami!" Serena smiled. "I'd never believed that Darien would do that to me!"

"Oh yeah? Who was it that had been doubting a few minutes ago?" asked Rei.

"What, you always are so nosey!" Serena sweatdropped before sticking her tongue out at Rei, starting another of their infamous fights. Eiji and Morisato both sweatdropped at the sight.

"In any case… This car is finally getting somewhere, isn't it Natsumi?" asked Darien, looking at the car that the trio of mechanics had been working on.

"Yeah," said Natsumi, smiling fondly at the car. "It's my dream to restore this car and have it running like new again." She turned to Ami and Mori. "Of course, I've been able to work effectively thanks to my capable assistants here."

Morisato grinned and rubbed the back of his neck. "Aw shucks…!"

"Oh no, I'm just helping you out, Miss Natsumi." Ami glanced down at the floor, cheeks a faint pink.

"Now that's not true, Ami." Morisato said, being serious for once. "You're quick to understand the mechanics of complicated machinery as well as where to repair in such a machine. But most important of all…" Mori grinned and wriggled his grease-stained hands at Ami. "You're not afraid to get your hands dirty. You're number one in my book." Morisato looked towards the car and smiled knowingly. "It's almost like you can hear the heart of the machine and understand its feelings. That kind of talent is hard to come by so don't go shooting yourself down when you're soaring so high."

"Way to go Ami!" exclaimed Serena.

"Alright, Genius Girl!" Mina said, a sly look on her face.

"He likes you!" Rei smiled eloquently. Ami blushed while Natsumi just laughed.

"You two ready to work some more?" she asked.

"I'm game," answer Mori.

"Sure."

The trio went back towards the car to continue their work, completely heedless of the fact that were being watched from the rafters above. Zircon had seen all it needed and, with a strange sheen in its blazing red eye, took off towards the Dead Moon Circus tent. Eiji shivered and looked about him in confusion before brushing the feeling aside to focus more on keeping the girls from embarrassing/distracting Ami too much from her work.

* * *

'Lovely…' Hawks-Eye smiled and gazed upon the picture of Natsumi with the eyes of someone quite smitten. Tigers-Eye and Fish-Eye both looked over their pink-haired compatriot's shoulder to see what could cause such a reaction.

"You're going after older women again?" Tigers-Eye's smirk was quite condescending.

"And a woman who works on machines on top of it?" asked Fish-Eye. "She seems hardheaded! You sure have weird tastes."

Hawks-Eye's shoulders shook as though he was about to break into tears at his fellows' jibes but, instead, he began to laugh, much to their confusion.

"Wh-What? What's so funny?" Tigers-Eye asked.

"You two don't understand any of it, do you?" He held up Natsumi's picture. "Listen up, all right? This woman is the best of all older women."

"Isn't the best of them an old hag?" asked Tigers-Eye in confusion.

"You reall talk too much!" screeched Hawks-Eye. "This woman, in terms of fish, is the collar halibut or the middle-gut of a tuna simply because she's a widow!"

"A widow, huh…?" Tigers-Eye closed his eyes and thought over the idea. He still didn't get what it was about older women that attracted Hawks-Eye like moths to the flame, but then again, he didn't really want to know for that matter.

"Geez. A gem is nothing but a stone to those who don't understand its value. I'll take this target."

* * *

"So, found a job yet, Aniki?" Morisato scrubbed the last of the motor oil from his hands as he looked in the mirror's reflection towards Eiji as the taller boy waited for him to finish.

"Actually yes. Not a bad place either. Might be worth my time."

Morisato's eyelids lowered. "It's not at a dojo is it? You know Shiisa-sensei wouldn't approve—"

"It's not and even if it were, what the hell makes you think I would find anyone worth teaching our style to?" Morisato smiled mischeviously, something Eiji noticed right away. "I've known her for only a few weeks, Mori. I'm not about to teach her how to fight."

"Yes, she's already quite good at that on her own isn't she? Or haven't you seen her in action yet?" Morisato snickered to himself, earning a smack upside the head.

"Get your head out of the gutter."

"Joking aside, you seem quite enamored with the girl, Lita yes? So why aren't you moving the relationship forward. What's the problem?" Eiji gave him a hard look and Mori winced. "Ah yes, I'd forgotten…"

"This is not our world anymore, we're not as well-known or accepted as we once were. Do you honestly think she'd like the idea of her boyfriend playing superhero? Or worse, what if someone finds out who I am and decides to use her to get to me?"

"Then break up with her," suggested Morisato.

"NO!" Morisato flinched back from Eiji's sudden shout while Eiji himself seemed just as surprised. "I mean… I…"

Morisato's smile was pure and genuine, not containing an ounce of mischief as it usually did. "You like her, Eiji. I think one could call it close to being in love."

Eiji growled, his face gaining a slight flush. "I? What of you Mori? I've seen how you act towards Ami. Are your intentions pure, or do you see another opportunity to flaunt yourself and to get her killed in the process?"

Morisato stiffened and he glared up at Eiji. "That was low, Kusanagi."

"So was getting Espicha killed." Eiji glared right back. "We're not at war and have no need to fear of the Crystals, I'll admit that for now, but we are still in a dangerous situation and your history with women leaves something to be desired. As Lita's boyfriend, I'm entitled to defend her friends as if they were my own, which they are. But as your best friend, I'm also entitled to look out for you. I don't want what happened two years ago to reoccur, Mori. We were lucky last time, and I don't want to press it further than that."

"You won't. I swore it didn't I?" Morisato glared into his reflection, the scar on his eye standing out against the yellow his pupils. "I won't lose my sight again."

* * *

"The doctor said that her body is really fatigued." Ami explained to others as they sat outside Natsumi's hospital room.

"It didn't help any that some guy shows up looking an awful lot like her deceased husband," said Morisato.

Eiji quirked an eyebrow and made a symbols with the fingers of one his hands behind the girls' backs. Seeing it, Morisato responded with a simple shrug and a few signals of his own.

_Was it the enemy?_

_Unknown, doesn't match your or Takuya's descriptions. Could be._

Eiji frowned. This was not mere coincidence.

"Miss Natsumi has been working all by herself for all this time since her husband died and before you two came." Lita said. "It's not that surprising."

"Looks like the shop will be closed for a while." Darien said.

"Oh, no…" murmured Serena. "Poor Natsumi…"

Ami looked down and frowned sadly while Morisato looked upset when he suddenly began to smile. "I've got an idea, but we're going to have to pull Tak-kun in on it as well."

* * *

"Why the hell am I doing this shit again?" asked Takuya as he brought a tire over towards Mina.

"Father said this, "Working together to make someone happy doesn't feel like work at all"." answered Eiji as he and Ami worked on the car's engine.

"Most excellent morale booster, Eiji-kun!" called Morisato from beneath the car. "Sprite-chan, pass me that wrench there would you?"

"Ami, I think I messed up," said Lita, looking down at the side-mirror she had been working on. "Am I supposed to turn this clockwise to tighten it?"

"Yes, that's right…" answered Ami. Serena hammered at a piece of broken metal along the car's side door, slowly growing frustrated and increasing the strength of her 'taps'.

"Hey don't hit it so hard Serena!" Rei said on the opposite side. "You might break the window!"

"Oh, mind your own business Rei…" grumbled Serena, earning a hot retort from the priestess.

"Like a pair of alley-cats." Takuya grumbled. "Nothing but spit and claws." He ignored the glare he was receiving from the two as he looked over Eiji's shoulder at the engine. He whistled backwards. "Shit, this thing is ancient. Even our truck wasn't this bad off."

"Truck?" Lita looked up from her task towards Eiji, who was glaring at Takuya. "You guys have a truck?"

"Had, Lita-chan." Morisato slid out from under the car, somehow ending up beneath Ami though he had not entered the same way. "Let's just say that adding a nitro-powered engine without washing the grease off the car isn't a good idea."

"Natsumi!" Rini's young voice yelled from the auto-shop's entrance. Everyone turned to see Natsumi being taken away by a pink-haired man that looked oddly familiar to Takuya as Natsumi herself screamed for him to let her go.

"Shit, the fucker's kidnapping her!" exclaimed Takuya, as he and the others raced over to see the car pull a tight corner and disappear. At that moment, Darien pulled up and called for them to get in.

"You girls go on ahead!" exclaimed Eiji as he and the other guys raced toward the back of the auto-shop. "We'll catch up to you!"

"Do you think it's those animal freaks?" asked Takuya.

"Don't know, don't care." Morisato responded. "The jerk took MY second boss and I'm going to be the one to get him."

Eiji looked down slightly at Morisato, only to see a fierce glare. He nodded. "Fine, but we'll be two steps behind you in case something goes wrong. Now, hurry up and get moving!"

"Right!"

* * *

Hawks-Eye grinned as he took a firm grip on Natsumi's dream mirror when suddenly, "Hold it right there!" He looked to his right to see none other than Sailor Mercury standing along the edge of the pier. "I won't let you have it your way!"

"What?!" Hawks-Eye exclaimed. How did they find him so quickly?

"That's right!" Oh no, he recognized that voice the most. "Japan is a small place… Where are you going in such a hurry? Life is short - Maidens fall in love! For love and justice!"

"Pretty soldiers in sailor suits!" called her pint-sized protégé.

"Sailor Moon!"

"Sailor Mini-Moon!"

"And on behalf of the moon, we shall punish you!" exclaimed Sailor Moon. Mercury wasted no time in the first strike.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Water on the borderline of freezing into ice flew through the air towards Hawks-Eye who merely grunted, completely unimpressed with the attack, before returning it with his own. He held up a flaming torch and blew upon its crimson flames, sending a huge burst of fire flying forward to meet with the water in a head-on collision that neutralized them both. Mercury gasped in shock, she had seen how strong he was to have repelled Sailor Moon's previous attack but to deal with her own so easily…

"I have no time to deal with younger girls…" said Hawks-Eye. He turned his back on the group and looked towards the head of his shadow. "Come here, my Remless! Blanko, daredevil trapeze artist you're on!"

The symbol of the Dead Moon Circus flashed over the heart of Hawks-Eye's shadow before it lifted up to dangle itself from a trapeze that had suddenly appeared out of the sky. The shadow swung forward to reveal a pale-blue skinned girl decked like a trapeze artist. "Even with no wind, I swing!" she crowed.

"Blanko, I'm leaving you to deal with the little girls!" called Hawks-Eye.

Laughing, Blanko threw something at the three Sailor Scouts who caught them out of reflex. They blinked in surprise to see they were holding trapeze bars without the cords, but their surprise took a quick turn into horror as the cables appeared out of thin air and pulled all three straight up into the sky.

Sailor Moon made the mistake of looking down and gulped. They were at least five stories up. "We-We're so high up…" Blanko smiled like the cat having caught the canary as a pair of giant scissors materialized in her hands. "Oh boy." Blanko screamed with glee as she swung towards Sailor Moon. "S-Stop it! Stop!" The strings were cut and it looked like Sailor Moon was about to fall to her death when Sailor Mercury swung past and grabbed her hand. Sailor Moon sighed with relief. "Thanks, Mercury…"

Their relief was short-lived as Blanko swung forwards again, scissors primed and ready.

"Sailor Moon, try and swing yourself!" exclaimed Mercury, but it was too late.

SNIP.

"Mercury!" cried Sailor Mini-Moon, swinging forward and holding out her legs for Mercury to grab onto. Unfortunately, this had the affect of putting not one but two fully-grown Sailor Scouts on the much younger Mini-Moon, whose face had already gone full red from the strain. "T-Too heavy…!"

"Mini-Moon, please don't let go!" begged Sailor Moon from her grip on Mercury's hand.

"We have to do something… at this rate—" Mini-Moon's grip slipped and all three began to fall when another pair of hands grabbed onto Sailor Mercury's wrists. Sailor Moon gripped Mercury's ankles tight as Mini-Moon did the same to her own, both extremely grateful for the save.

"Hey ladies," said a voice from above the trio. The Scouts looked up to see someone they didn't recognize by name but by association with the previous two.

In other words, another Kamen Rider.

This new Rider's body-suit and armor were both two different shades of brown and his helmet was shaped more like an ankylosaur's with three sharp, yellow spikes running down the sides of his jaw. He had a pair of spikes jutting out from his shoulders and thighs and there was a spiked club attached to the side of his belt. He was a head shorter than Gojira and was more on the wide side though he had similar muscularity to Gojira. What was really odd though was the long jagged scar running down the side of his orange-tinted visor that resembled a scar from an animal's claw.

"Going my way?" he asked in his electronic-distorted voice, a smile almost seen behind his mask.

"Wha-What the?" Mercury blinked in surprise. "Who are you?"

"Name's Kamen Rider Anguirus," said the Brown Rider. "And it seems to me that you girls are in need of some assistance!" He swung his arms back and released his grip on Sailor Mercury's wrists, causing the trio to fall in a diagonal line and land atop one of the warehouses lining the pier with Anguirus joining them a moment later from atop the crane he had used to get to them. Mercury looked at the Rider in surprise. Even with their magic-enhanced stamina, the girls did stumble on their landing but Anguirus landed perfectly, without a hint of misbalance.

Anguirus reached down to his wrist and turned the armored shell adorning it around. "Cast-On!"

"CAST-ON!" A flash of neon light and there was a yellow shell now adorning Anguirus' back, though it was not the kind you would expect. It was shaped and designed like an armordillo's shell but with sharp spikes sticking at least half-a-foot outwards and though they were composed of holograms, Sailor Mercury did not doubt that the spikes weren't incapable of harm.

"CHANGE DINO PANZER!"

Blanko smirked and swung towards them again, ignoring Anguirus entirely as he pressed down upon his K-Zector before reaching down and unlatching his spiked-club which, upon further scrutiny, looked rather like the tail-club of an ankylosaur.

"ANCIENT STRIKE!" Anguirus swung his Ankylo Hammer like a baseball-bat and smacked Blanko right in the face, sending the Remless flying straight towards the ground where she flickered out of existence. Anguirus gave a thumbs-up. "Booyaka."

"Damn you younger girls!" cursed Hawks-Eye. "And damn you especially Kamen Rider! I'm out of here!"

A serrated blade appeared next to his neck just as a large energy cannon approached next to his face. He looked to see Rodan standing behind him, his Primal Blade in hand while Gojira was standing to his left, his G-Force Cannon already primed up. Both Riders had already activated their Cast-On Systems and were glaring at the pink-haired Amazon.

"Not so fast," said Gojira. "I think it's time you answered some questions."

Hawks-Eye's eyes were wide with terror for but a moment before he looked over towards Natsumi and suddenly gained a wicked smirk. "Questions eh? How's this then, do you know how long a human body can last without its dream mirror? The longer it stays out, the more likely she is to die."

"You're lying," spoke Rodan, edging his blade closer.

"Am I? Look for yourself, Kamen Rider!" The two turned to see Natsumi's skin becoming an unhealthy shade of grey, and combining that with her weakened condition…

"Put it back," ordered Gojira. "Or I blow your head straight to Hell!"

"It won't go back unless I leave. Tied to my magic you see. Once I'm not in the area, the spell is gone and the mirror's back where it belongs. But if you kill me, my spell remains indefinite."

The two Riders exchanged looks before slowly backing off. Hawks-Eye smirked and jumped away into his ring-of-disappearance, and vanished, Natsumi's mirror fading back into her chest as the apparatus holding her disappeared as well.

"Thank you, Commander." Anguirus stepped forward from the fire-escape he and the Scouts used to get back to ground level. "I'm sure her friends will be glad of her safety." Gojira nodded while Rodan merely huffed in annoyance.

"Hrmph, if that's all the fighting to be done, I have better things to do," said Rodan, without so much as a glance towards the girls.

"Let us depart then." Gojira dismissed Rodan with a wave of his clawed hand and started to walk away as the Red Rider prepared for take-off. Before either of them could get far though, they were stopped by Mercury's shout.

"Wait!" She stepped forward, looking uneasily at both Rodan and Gojira, before focusing on the one who had truly saved the day in her eyes.

Kamen Rider Anguirus

"Thank you… for saving us." She gave a polite bow to him before turning towards the other two Riders. "And thank you for saving Miss Natsumi."

The three Riders blinked behind their masks and exchanged looks with one another. They had not once been thanked for doing what they had done but then, there was never anyone to give them thanks really…

"You… are welcome…" Anguirus shook his head, finding it odd to say the words. The trio of Riders exchanged glances once more before silently taking off into the night; Rodan flying through the skies while Gojira and Anguirus both disappeared into darkened spaces between the pier warehouses.

Sailor Mercury watched them go, or rather, one of them. She might not know just who the Riders really were or what purpose it was that they were created for but she did know one solid fact that was enough to put her mind at ease. While the Kamen Riders could not call themselves their allies just yet nor could the Scouts do the same for them, they could call each other as one thing that was explanation enough in a single word.

Friends.

It was the next afternoon that the entire group was once more standing amidst the grounds of Miss Natsumi's auto-shop, this time with an old car that looked as good as new. Miss Natsumi, Ami, and a grinning Morisato were all seated in the car waiting for the moment to see if it would come alive. Of course, there was a bit of an argument between Morisato and Ami over who had the right to ride shotgun. An argument that Morisato settled by kissing Ami on the cheek and jumping into the backseat before she could recover, which took some time.

"Ready you two?" Miss Natsumi held up the car's key.

"Let's get the show on the road!" crowed Morisato while Ami nodded, still faintly flushed from Morisato's surprise 'attack'.

"Here goes…" Natsumi placed the key and turned the ignition once, twice, and continued on with the car sputtering and whining in utter protest. Ami clasped her hands in a silent prayer and begged to the car, 'Please… turn on!'

Morisato was mimicking her in the back with his own prayer of, 'For the love of automation! Start ya stubborn thing!'

It was with a roar of an awakened beast that was the calling sound of the car's rebirth into life. "We did it…" gasped Natsumi, shocked at first before sudden excitement flooded through her veins. "We did it!"

"Alright, Boss Lady!" crowed Morisato, giving a thumbs-up. "Let's get this car rolling!"

Of course, Murphy's age-old law of 'what could happen will happen' decided that now was a good time to enforce its ruling by having the car manage to roll forward enough to stop beside Serena and Rini before the hood popped open with the force of a near-volcanic cloud of smoke burst from its engine as the front bumper broke and tilted onto the ground.

"Well…" Takuya smirked at the scene. "That was ironic."

Eiji nodded. "Anti-climatic as well…"

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_Rei:_ I can believe that Artemis has a crush, but on a human girl? And a nun no less? And what's this I hear about a kitten born from an illicit love-affair? The kitten isn't the only new arrival though, some cute guy appears out of no where with no idea who he is. Eiji's got a strange feeling and what this I hear about a new Kamen Rider? They're just coming out of the woodwork!

The Ancient Weapon; Awaken Forgotten Memories!


	7. The Ancient Weapon

Me: Just to let everyone know, the next chapter may not arrive until the week after next. I've got the majority of it done but it... well, you'll have to read the preview and find out won't you? Oh, alright. I'll put in an Author's Note.

Bahamut: Cause we all know how you love to hear yourself talk.

Me: I've not practiced my Battle Magic lately, Bahamut. Care to assist me?

Bahamut: Shutting up.

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****DISCLAIMERS: Don't own what's not my own.**

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**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

The Ancient Weapon; Awaken Forgotten Memories!

In the sky, not more than a few yards or so above the ground, there was something taking place that, to be blunt, shouldn't be taking place at all. The very area around the point of oddity was warping into a myriad of colors as the laws of space and time were being pulled apart and torn to shreds to allow a small, furry form to fall through a portal that would lead to a future a thousand years in the making. The furry little thing, a gray kitten if one must know, shook her head to clear it from the sudden fall before glancing about and randomly choosing a direction to travel and left with a happy giggle.

She would never fully realize just how much of what was to come could be blamed, at least partially, upon her.

To fully understand, one would have to look upon the theories of time and space but seeing as there are few that are both interesting enough to hold one's attention and true enough to actually be utilized, one must follow the most primary of theories as best as one can. Time and Space are both in a constant state of motion and will continue on perhaps beyond the reaches of infinity but there in that statement lies one important fact. Because both universal forces are in motion, one has to be extremely careful when traveling across either force and must take the other into account.

There are few ways that this can be done safely for the sake of the traveler, as has been demonstrated both by the Sailor Scouts and other equally powerful forces on the opposite end of the justice scale, there is a reason why time travel in itself is forbidden. Pushing aside the concepts of the Butterfly Effect, where one small change in the past can create a whole multitude in the future, and other such chrono-problems, one must realize the ultimate truth as to why time travel itself is largely forbidden in most varieties of the universe.

As was demonstrated in the Universe of the Kamen Riders Daikaiju, all it took was an explosion above the nuclear-scale to cause a rip in their world, sending them across the Infinity Web. Some, would fall to the Universe of the Sailor Scouts, others would not have survived the means of travel and had already perished before entering the Place Between, and the few, the poor unfortunate few, would be stuck in the Place Between until another, similar hole was made in one of its delicate strands.

Like now for instance.

It has already been proven that this Universe was more than capable of handling chronal transport, but dimensional? That was an entirely separate story. When the Princess of the Ice Crystal, she who took the name Snow Kaguya, found her way to Earth and once more made an attempt at seizing it for herself, she and her Crystal were destroyed by the light of the Silver Imperium Crystal. In the moment of its demise, the Ice Crystal cried its own howl of demise, a sound that no ear could ever truly hear. However, the sound was enough and with the Light still shining as a pathway to guide them, the Kamen Riders arrived on the Earth of the Sailor Scouts.

Exactly where the kitten had landed just a few moments ago.

It is not coincidence that her own means of travel was through the exact same point nor for he who fell a whiles after her arrival. He was a youth, no older than seventeen at best, and one could feel there was something different about him. To be fair, he did have a similar hairstyle, and though not necessarily a normal color, to most Japaense boys his age (dark green with some cropped over his right eye if you must know), and though he was dressed like had been prepared for war, the dirt and dried blood upon them spoke it to be true. The strange thing was that he had no weapons of any sort upon him, just a plain emerald watch adorning his left wrist while his entire right arm was hidden beneath a leather glove that extended up to his elbow and vanished into the sleeve of his camoflauge jacket. However, none of these things in particular were as strange as the boy's eyes, which were a startling shade of green that could practically be called neon for their bright intensity. Still, it was only a color that could easily be faked, no it was the look in the eyes that spoke of oddity.

They were the eyes of one who knew of pain, of the depths of despair and hopelessness, but they had a questioning air about them.

Why?

He knew these terrible things but he knew not why but, then again, he didn't know himself either.

With footsteps of a man walking to a destination that could provide his doom or his salvation, he rose to his feet and walked away from the spot he fell, silently asking himself questions as to who he was and why he was there. Above him, the portal closed but one could almost feel the wrongness in the air, if they were high enough to reach it anyway. The portal was still there and could no longer be forgotten or ignored. It couldn't truly be classified as anything for nothing of the sort had ever existed before but it could be compared as being a door without a lock.

All it would take was a simple turning of the knob to open it once more.

And God help them all for he who would soon step through that door in the days that were to come.

--

Eiji had been enjoying a nice cup of rootbeer float with his girlfriend Lita when it happened. It was like a shotgun to the brain as he would later recall to his friends. So many days spent without his empathy in working order only to suddenly feel a burst of emotion seemingly out of the blue and at such a distance that he wondered just how he was able to feel it at all. The burst was soon smothered away, like all the other emotional beings in Juuban. It was a wonder that the sudden attack hadn't splattered his brain open from the force.

As it was, the glass he was holding shattered in his hand.

"Eiji!" Lita was by his side in an instant, worry shining in her eyes and concern coming off her form in waves. "Are you alright?"

"Ye-Yeah." Eiji gasped for air, taking several deep breaths before opening his eyes and looking at her with a joking smirk on his lips. "Brain freeze." He said by way of explanation. Lita frowned, obviously not fully believing him and still concerned over his health. Eiji shook his head and smiled, "I'm fine, Lita. Really. As Father said, 'Whatever doesn't kill you serves to make you stronger'." He realized instantly that those particular words were not his best choice at the moment as Lita's face reflected the horror and despair that had settled in her heart.

Eiji winced, both at his lack of common sense and the sudden plumet into despair that he felt from her. "Lita, I'm fine. Really."

"No you're not!" exclaimed Lita, suddenly grabbing him in a rough embrace, tears in her eyes. "That doesn't happen from a simple brain freeze! Please, tell me the truth Eiji… Are you… dying…?"

"What?" Eiji couldn't help but laugh at the word. Death was so far out of his league he honestly never considered it. "Where did you get this idea?"

"Ami said she's seen you at the hospital a few times… and that thing with Molly, what you said…" Lita was babbling inchorently by now. Not once had she ever had such a wonderful boyfriend as Eiji was being to her. Sure, she had a few in her time but she considered herself lucky if a guy stayed as her boyfriend for more than a few days and here was Eiji on their date celebrating their having dated for a month! True, they hadn't exactly kissed yet and Lita desperately wanted Eiji to be her first true kiss. When she had told him this, blushing and stuttering like a fool after a lame attempt at kissing him ended up with her kissing his nose, and Eiji had gotten this strange look on his face before he suddenly declared that he would be her true first kiss, but only when he could make it one she would always remember.

She didn't want to lose him and the thought scared her more than any monster she had ever fought, which opened a whole other can of worms. Sooner or later, she would have to tell him the truth about her, the girls, everything. He was already getting suspicious and Lita knew it was only a matter of time before he'd figure out that either A) she was a Sailor Scout or B) she was doing something illegal.

And we all know Option B was the incorrect answer.

Eiji himself was frowning, more at his carelessness than anything else. He should have realized sooner that something was up with Lita. Their dates had become more frequent and she seemed more than eager to be close to him at all times, and more protective of him than he thought he was to her. He had thought that she was perhaps looking forward to their first kiss, lips-to-lips variety, but that obviously wasn't the case. He sighed and hugged her back, one hand idly playing with her ponytail while his nose twitched at the wonderful smell of roses and silkspun sugar that was her scent.

"Lita, my Guardian is a doctor at the hospital. I visit her to…" He looked to the side, thankful she couldn't see his eyes. "Get tips for our dates… Lacking experience, I've not really any idea and, well, from what I've told her about you, she really seems to like you. I was actually going to bring up the idea of you meeting her…"

Lita's crying ceased and she looked up, oh how she liked that small detail, into his eyes. "Really…?"

"Yes."

"You're not… dying or anything…?"

"Fit as a fiddle." Eiji smiled. "Whatever that means." Lita couldn't help but giggle, more out relief that at Eiji's attempt at humor. Her giggling trailed off at the look in Eiji's eyes and though she didn't immediately realize it, they both were drawing closer to each other and were mere millimeters apart when—

RING!

Their cell-phones went off, causing them both to drop to the floor in surprise. Scrambling, and using many a foul word in their minds, they checked to see who was calling before excusing themselves and moving to opposite sides of the restaurant to answer, both silently pledging pain to the ones who interrupted their moment.

Eiji snapped his phone open he barked out a loud, "What is it, Mori?"

"Eiji-kun, it's me." Eiji blinked in surprise.

"Shiisa-sensei? Why do you have Mori's cellphone?"

"That's not important right now," said the older man. "Did you feel anything just now?"

Eiji blinked before his eyes narrowed and he did a subtle look-around to see if anyone was close enough to hear him. "Yeah I did. Why?"

"I just got a call from Midoriko," said Shiisa. "It's one of ours."

Eiji's hand clenched, squeezing the cellphone. "That's impossible. We're all that's—"

"We don't know that, Eiji." Shiisa interrupted. "But I'm not calling to argue about this."

"Then what are you calling about?" asked Eiji. "If it really is one of ours, can't you just track them down?"

"Even if my own powers weren't on the blink," growled Shiisa, annoyance in his voice. "Do you honestly think I could in the middle of an active city like Juuban?"

"Point for you, Sensei." Eiji sighed. "Where does Midoriko think this Rider's at?"

"Within ten miles of your current location." Shiisa stated.

"Great, this'll be like finding a piece of piano wire in a haystack."

"Eiji…" Shiisa spoke hesitantly, as though unsure of how Eiji would react. "It's Shiro."

Eiji's eyes widened before they narrowed into thin slits. "You're lying to me again old man."

"It's not my words, Eiji. Midoriko is more advanced in psionics then you are and she's verified it. It's him."

"… If it is him, I'll find him." Eiji's eyes seemed to grow dark. "I owe it to her."

--

Powers Above, he didn't think that there ever was such a headache as what he was currently experiencing. He winced and grabbed his forehead once more with his left hand, letting the other press hard against the wall that acted as a fence for the neighborhood he was in. Taking a deep breath of air and letting it out as slowly as he could, he tried once to figure out just what had happened to him and, for that matter, who he was in the first place. He was dressed like a soldier but the word sounded so… wrong to him. He hated that word, with a passion that scared him. The very idea of him being a soldier in the army made him feel disgusted with himself, but then why would he be dressed as he was with the camouflage clothes and leather gloves?

Though the city itself caused other feelings in him that, to be blunt, were just plain disturbing. For a moment, he had actually considered that he was dead and in Heaven because there were no such cities as this left but he dismissed such thoughts away. There was pain here so this place could not be Heaven. But if it wasn't Heaven, why was it here? How could it be standing? There were no cities left!

Well, to be fair, he wasn't actually able to remember that for a fact but he just knew there was nothing like this… what did that newspaper say? Tokyo? No, no, some sort of district… Nerima? No, Juuban! It was Juuban!

Where the heck is Juuban?

For that matter, where was Tokyo?

Another sharp pain between the eyes made him wince and clench his hands on reflex. Though in pain, he did not fail to hear the sound of stone being broken and opened an eye to see the fingers of his right hand imbedded into the stone of the wall. His eyes widened with shock before he slowly pulled the limb out of the wall and flexed his fingers. He could move them yes but he could not feel any form of sensation, not even the touch of leather that covered the limb in question. With a sense of forboding, he slowly reached up to the hand and pulled the long glove off to see what laid beneath.

And screamed.

--

Eiji turned his head sharply, eyes narrowed and ears twitching. Was someone under attack by those animal freaks? … No, whenever those two appeared, there would be a brief enough break in whatever dampening field that they had placed over the city for Eiji to sense the emotional turmoil of the next victim. Still… Eiji sighed and continued walking with his eyes constantly scanning the crowd of people, trying to find the one familiar face. He thanked his lucky stars once more for the distraction that Lita's friends provided, though just what was wrong with Serena's cat that needed all of the girls to be there with absolutely no males was anyone's guess.

--

Sister Mary Clarence bowed her head and smiled as she spoke the words so ingrained into her being that she need not bother remembering. "Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil." She bowed her head and made to enter another portion of the church when a hushed voice echoed in the church.

"Beautiful…" Sister Mary turned and saw a young man, possibly eighteen years of age, leaning against the door, his breath ragged and his skin an unnatural shade. His eyes were shining though as he looked towards not the cross that marked her faith, but the windows of stained glass that were placed above and close to the ceiling where the sun's light made them shine with rainbow brilliance. He smiled slightly before sagging forward and falling to the ground in a dead faint.

"Oh my!" Sister Mary ran over and kneeled down beside the boy, "Sir, are you alright?" She shook him slightly.

"I'm fine…" he whispered, drawing his right arm close to his chest. "Just…" A loud growl came from his stomach, surprising the nun while embarrassing him. Blushing he asked, "Could you spare some of that bread, Sister?"

--

The boy finished his small meal and took a generous drink of water before turning and bowing his head in thanks. "My thanks, Sister Clarence."

"It's wasn't a problem… I'm sorry, I never received your name?" The boy winced and looked down at his plate.

"I… don't remember my name or my past… but I…" He looked up and back towards the church. "Recall a place like this… "

Sister Mary frowned sadly before smiling slightly, looking back at the church. "Maybe it's the Lord's way of saying that you may have forgotten your past, but he hasn't forgotten you." The boy blinked in surprise at that before frowning in concideration of the idea.

"Maybe." He sighed. "Reassuring as that is, I'd prefer something more than that…"

"Oh you musn't think so negatively," said Sister Mary. "Your memory will return someday, I'm sure of it! The Lord loves all his children and would not allow one to suffer from such pain."

The boy's eyes narrowed, a sudden flash in his mind, a landscape devoid of life. He opened his mouth to say something but snapped it shut upon seeing the Sister's face. It was one who had devoted their entire life in something that couldn't be seen, couldn't be proven to be real, and yet was more than satisfied with what she did receive. She had faith untarnished by such dark tidings like war and death and he… he couldn't even think to say anything that would make the light in her eyes go away.

Instead, he asked, "Is there some form of celebration occurring soon?" He motioned towards the decorations that lined the outerwall of the church. The nun smiled and nodded.

"There is to be a marriage later this evening. I was going to be finishing with the decorations when you arrived." He nodded and looked back towards the church.

"If you want, I shall help you." He offered. When the nun looked ready to protest, he said, "Think of it as my own way of saying thanks."

--

He had just finished cleaning the silver cross while Sister Mary was outside, hanging a flowered wreath on the door. The boy sighed and glanced up at the cross and the Son crucified against it, that single flash of memory brushing against his mind. Where was he that he remembered such a place and just why would God, or any High Power, allow such a thing to happen? He didn't believe in fate or destiny, the words earning a sharp scowl on his face, but then with his right arm…

He lifted up his right hand and watched it clench tightly into a fist like a man watching his limbs move on their own accord, with no sense of feeling telling him that it was his own mind in control. He sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time in so many minutes when something caught his eye. There was something attached to the back of his hand, a watch? Curious, he brought his hand closer to his face and noted that the latch was decorated to look like a rose? Shrugging, he lifted the latch to see that it was indeed a watch but underneath the latch itself was a simple phrase that looked as though it was etched with a knife.

_Live And Remember Your Oath_

_May 5 2058_

He stared at in confusion for a few minutes before something splashed onto the glass surface of the watch. His other hand brushed against his face. 'Tears?' he thought. 'I'm crying? Why?' He bowed his head, his tears falling faster. 'It hurts… it hurts so much…'

A scream brought his attention towards the front of the church. His eyes widened at the sight of Sister Mary Clarence being held against some sort of wall with… a mirror floating before her? He didn't quite understand just what was going on but he knew he had to help her! He started running towards the door when he suddenly slid to a stop.

'_I… I can't…_' Suddenly worried about something that he couldn't remember. '_I'll only end up killing her too!_'

--

"Sinner! Now is the time to repent!" exclaimed Sailor Moon from atop the church roof, beside the large cross.

"What a maiden looks forward to…" said Sailor Mercury, leaping down to the ground.

"The scene of a wedding," finished Sailor Mini-Moon, following after Mercury.

"One who tarnishes the purity of a church!" called Sailor Jupiter, leaping towards the level ground.

"Although they go against my family business…" proclaimed Sailor Mars, following her fellows.

"We can't allow this! For love and justice!" Sailor Moon stood at the fore of her fellow Scouts.

As Mini-Moon made move to say her own phrase to their introduction speech, another voice called up from the top of the church. "You're wasting time, and trying my patience! Let's just kill the thing and be done with it!"

Everyone looked up to see Kamen Rider Gojira balanced atop the cross of the church, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared down at the group below. Tigers-Eye frowned, realizing the threat that the Rider brought with him.

"Kigurumiko," he smirked viciously. "They're all yours." He backflipped into the ring-of-fire and disappeared from sight. Gojira cursed under his breath before leaping down, fist at the fore, to clash against the costumed Remless.

"One, two… Punch for you!" She called, flying forward, her gloved fist meeting his own in a crackle of physical power. Both were thrown back from the force and had managed to land on their feet. Gojira held up his gun and prepared to fire when one of the girls yelled for him to stop.

"Wait!" Sailor Venus looked back towards where her cat Artemis was being held both a weapon and shield by the Remless. Her brain tried to come up with the right term that could apply to the situation and, for once, she managed it on the first try. "She's got a hostage?"

"What?" growled Gojira, looking back at her in surprise before dodging another hit from Kigurumiko, "What hostage?!"

"My cat!"

Were it any other situation, Gojira would have sweatdropped. As it was, he had to dodge another blow and jump back to land amidst the Sailor Scouts. "You've got to be kidding me." He growled as he looked to that it was in fact a white cat being held in the pouch of the Remless. Remembering what he had heard of the two cats that were often found with the Sailor Scouts, he asked, "Don't tell me, he's the one that talks right?"

"Yes!" Sailor Venus nodded. "Please, we've got to get him out of there! Even if he is a louse!"

"But how, we can't hurt the monster without hurting Artemis," said Jupiter.

"Then we're going to have let the cat out of the bag." Gojira said. "Distract it, I'm going in!"

--

He stood back in the safety of the church and watched with trepidation as the battle continued on outside. He wanted to fight, to protect the nun that had shown him such kindness, but he knew not how he could hope to stand against such outrageous foes as these. Though the blonde and her compatriots were exceptional fighters, the fact that her… familiar, he supposed was the best term, was being used against her as a living shield forced her into holding back her power against her foe. Even with his right arm, he knew nothing of his capabilities or how much punishment his prosthetic could take in such a fight.

Then he appeared.

His eyes never left his form once since he first appeared seemingly out of nowhere, his black armor almost shining from the bright light of the sun. He heard the voice, he saw the fighter, he felt the power behind the attacks he threw at the monster as he himself risked injury to get the small life out of harm's reachbut that mattered very little to him in light of what had just occurred.

His memory had returned.

Broken towers of glass and steel, countless upon countless markers in the dirt, no bodies beneath them to bury, disasters going beyond the capabilities of measurement occurring through out the world where crystal towers grew like demonic-spawned plants where life once flourished. But above the horrible wave of nightmares there was a light, a group of people chosen by fate and guided by destiny to try and combat against the darkness and restore what was left of their world.

They had failed.

His friends, his allies, his… family…

But whatever Powers there were, be it the Ancients Gods or The One, they had been given a second chance on this world where darkness had not deeply taken root, where the seeds could still be plucked from the earth and tossed into the fires of justice. He knew then that he could keep his promise to her, just as he knew his own name.

He is Shiro Saito.

He is a Kamen Rider!

'_I promised you…_' Shiro's eyes began to glow brightly with the light of Mana. '_I would protect him, and I shall not break my word to you, Asagi…_' He gripped the seemingly ordinary watch adorning his left wrist tight even as the symbol of a turtleshell appeared on its surface.

--

Gojira cursed under his breath as he grappled with the kangaroo-costumed Remless. He looked down towards the cat traped as the monster's "joey" and decided to see if these girls really were telling the truth. "Hey! Cat, do me a favor and get the hell out of the pouch so I can kill this thing!"

"I can't!" the cat exclaimed, much to the Rider's disbelief. '_Shit, now I really can't go all-out. Damn it, just how the hell did I end in a hostage situation with the hostage being a talking cat?_'

A suddenly release of brilliant white light from the entryway of the church put a pause to any further thoughts before a dark emerald shape strolled forward into the light. His bodysuit was a dark forest green while his armor was a dull emerald. His armguards were bulkier than normal and both had a series of sharp short-blades running down along the sides of his forearms. Attached to his back was a sort of backpack-shaped hump where a photographic lens could be seen at the top, just behind his head. His helmet had a row of spikes running from the forehead down to the base of his skull and was shaped like a snapping-turtle's head with a pair of sharp tusks jutting upwards along the mouth guard. His visor was shaped like a pair of turtle-flippers and was colored a dark red.

"This is holy ground," he spoke in his distorted voice, his clawed fists clenching tightly, "and I will not allow anyone to descrate it! So speaks, Kamen Rider Gamera!" He reached down to his wrist and turned the tortoise-shell around. "Cast-On!"

"CAST-ON!"

With a burst of neon light that had the stunned Remless, and her hostage, reeling back while Gojira stared into the corona stoically. He watched as the lightshow died down to reveal Gamera was now adorned with a green hologram of a turtle-shell and his arms were like that of what a turtles would be if it suddenly became a biped.

"CHANGE ANTEDILUVIAN ARMA!"

Though he was stunned by the sight of the Emerald Rider suddenly coming back from the dead, Gojira instinctively knew what was going to occur next and jumped out of the way. An explosion of white smoke burst out from where Gamera stood before a UFO-like object burst through through the smoke like a mad top and slammed hard into the Remless, sending her skyward. Another burst of smoke and Gamera skidded to a stop, the lens on his shell-pack glowing with energy as he bent his head downwards.

Sailor Venus' eyes widened in horror. "No, wait! STOP!"

"FLAMMING BARRAGE!" Orbs of plasmic fire burst upwards from the Terra Blaster toward the screaming Remless. The shots were large like cannon-fire, and exploded with hellish abandon upon impact. Whatever remained of the kangaroo-costumed Remless was blown away as ash on the wind, her shadow fading away against the wall of the church.

"You, you MONSTER!" Sailor Venus screamed, running forward to attack Gamera when Gojira suddenly pulled her back by the scruff of her uniform. "Let me go!"

"Calm yourself," ordered Gojira, "And try looking before you leap."

Gamera turned to face the group to see a shivering white cat being held in his arms. "Th-That was kind of cool… huh girls?"

"ARTEMIS!" Sailor Venus raced forward and, taking the white cat out of the Emerald Rider's arms, proceeded to squeeze the life of the feline as she cried tears of joy before focusing on the one who rescued him. "Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou—"

"A life is a life, no matter the form it takes." Gamera interrupted the weeping Scout before looking over towards the others. He knew the rules of being in uncharted territory. He looked over towards Gojira. "Up & Away?"

"The Tower." Gojira answered. Without another word, the Black Rider leapt up over the fence and disappeared, the sound of a motorcycle echoing behind him. Gamera shook his head thinking, 'There is much that I have missed,' before looking towards the nun, concerned over her wellbeing but if Gojira had left her behind with these strange girls… He focused for a moment then turned to look back at the girls that had fought beside his commander and was shocked by the aura they possessed. 'Scio me nihil scire… I'll have to ask him I guess…'

Sighing, he offered a silent apology to the nun that helped him when she had no reason to as he held out his arms, still under the holograms of Cast-On. His arms melted outwards to match that of a turtle's flippers before an explosion of energy occurred beneath him, shrouding him from view. He shot upwards like a jack-in-the-box and zoomed towards the horizon like a skyrocket, leaving a jetstream of white smoke in his wake.

"And another player comes to the field," whispered Sailor Mars, slightly troubled by the appearance of yet another Rider. 'But this one is different more… I don't know, confused maybe? He didn't recognize who we were and was hesitant in leaving the nun with us. Is he different from the other three Riders? …Seems that I'll need to do some fire-reading soon…'

--

Gojira stood atop the top of Tokyo Tower, looking out across the expanse of lights and the activity of the city with his arms crossed. Beside him was Gamera, his Cast-On disengaged, also looking over the city but in a way that the other three Riders had done upon arriving to this strange yet familiar world. Gojira looked over towards his comrade-in-arms.

"Strange isn't it? Seeing it like how it was supposed to be."

Gamera glanced out the corner of his eyes but kept them mainly focused on the city below, silently reading between the lines of what Gojira had said. "Our world is dead isn't it?"

"It was dead long before we arrived here." Gojira argued. "Here, at least we have a chance."

"But what is here? The past?"

"Yes… and no." Gojira shook his head. "It is a past without the Kaiju."

"What?" asked Gamera. "But how?"

"Who knows?" Gojira shrugged. "Maybe this world got lucky, maybe it didn't. As you've seen, this world has its own problems."

Gamera nodded. "Yes, I saw… which reminds me, just who were those girls you were fighting alongside of?"

"I didn't fight alongside them. They were there, that's the end of it." Gojira denied before taking a deep breath and letting it out as a slow sigh. "They're apparently the defenders of this city, each of them is named after a planet in the Solar System and have—"

"Elemental powers, yes I saw." Gamera nodded. "But there's more to them than what you have seen Gojira-kun. I don't know just what it is but there's something more to them that what you've know. When I look at them… it's almost like seeing Monna and Lorna…"

Gojira snorted. "You think they're Cosmos?"

"No," Gamera shook his head. "Not like the Cosmos but… similar. More… defined I think is the word I'm looking for."

"Hmm…"

"… I'm the only one aren't I?" Gamera suddenly asked.

"What?"

"How many of us are there?"

"Excluding our senior members… four. And that's including you by the way."

"Then… the others are also—"

"They're dead." Gojira spoke emotionlessly. "They didn't survive the trip. You were one of the few that was unaccounted for."

"… May I see those who do remain then?"

"Yeah…" Gojira nodded. "It'd do them some good."

"As well as you, Little Brother." Gamera clapped a hand down upon the taller Rider's shoulder. "I haven't forgotten my promise to her."

Gojira stiffened slightly but slowly untensed and nodded to Gamera's words. "I haven't either, so don't end up doing something stupid on my behalf. That's an order. Don't forget, she loved you more than I."

Gamera chuckled. "Yes, yes so you say, but it was not I whom was related to her now was it, Little Brother?"

"Enough," said Gojira. "We have to go and report back to the others." He leapt down and ran along the edge of the tower, leaving Gamera behind. The Emerald Rider shook his head sadly. 'Do you blame yourself for her death still? It was because of me that she died. Why must you try and place the entire world on your shoulders Eiji?"

To Be Continued...

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Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_Eiji:_ Why didn't I realize this…? I should have seen it when those idiots were acting so odd around the girls! I'm going to run them below the ground for this! They should have told me the truth, damn it!

_Morisato:_ I should have realized it sooner, how could I have been so blind? It was there since the beginning and I missed it!

_Takuya:_ That wench! That miserable, no-good, lousy, WOMAN! I hate her! What kind of girl is she, the worst kind I tell you……

_Kaizawa:_ Ah such a beautiful priestess… Her's is an aura that I can enjoy watching. Forgive me Asagi-chan… but I will keep to your promise. This girl, she's like you but she's different too.

_Eiji:_ Can I really keep my own secret from her if I know that she's… Come on, just say it. Makoto "Lita" Kino is a—

_Morisato:_ What am I going to do? Should I tell? Can I? … Ami Mizuno… is a—

_Takuya:_ And here I thought things would be different, so much for that shit-thinking… Maybe I should fight her as my true self and see just how she'd stand up. I'm sure she can take it. After all, Mina Aino is a—

_Kaizawa:_ She's not afraid to speak her mind and stand up for what she believes is right. And she has her own power too, Asagi-chan. You see, Rei Hino is a—

_Kamen Riders:_ Sailor Scout.

Planetary; The Veiled Truth

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

Yep, you guessed it. The Kamen Riders will discover the true identities of the Sailor Scouts in the next chapter. However, this will overlap a lot of episodes together though the amount of episode inclusion will be varied. Also, my Time & Space theory is purely that. Theory. I've looked at various sources (film, novels, scientific theories, fanfiction, etc.) and there's not one single idea about time and space that anyone can agree on EXCEPT for Space & Time being in constant motion. I inserted all this information because none of the Riders will every really discover just how or why they ended up in the universe of the Sailor Scouts because, good guys aside, they're warriors. Not chronological masters like Doctor Who.

Bahamut: (Confused)Who?

Me: Exactly.

Mewtwo: (Groan)


	8. Planetary The Veiled Truth

Me: Oh yeah! I did it! I finished this extra-long chapter in time! Booyaka to me!

Bahamut: Congrats, but shouldn't you put up an author's note?

Mewtwo: They're are some episodes you missed after all.

Me: Hold on, I've just got to say it. Ahem. Dudes. I rock! Now on with the fic!

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Every TimeBreak is an episode featuring Fish-Eye save for one particular episode. Which one that is will be slightly obvious but not so much so. The story behind the guys is looked into further in this chapter but it is only half-of-the-half-truth that is their lives. To coin a phrase, "There's more to them than meets the eye."

Also, I think I'll be fair and toss a little hint. Yes, there are more Kamen Riders. However, the Senior Members aren't those who are older in premiere age but rather in fictional-historical age.

Bahamut: What?

Me: It's as vauge as I could make it without being obvious about it.

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DISCLAIMERS: Don't own what's not my own.

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**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

Planetary; The Veiled Truth

Eiji wasn't quite sure how it happened and if you to ask him to recap, he'd sum it all up it two simple words.

Sheer Stupidity.

He had been hanging out with the girls at Darien's apartment along with Takuya doing their school work and getting some tutoring from the college student boyfriend of Serena's. Morisato, the 'smart-ass' as Takuya called him, had already finished all of his summer assignments and was busy earning his pay at Miss Natsumi's auto-repair shop while Shiro, the 'lucky bastard', was out searching for a job of his own and didn't even have any homework to begin with. Takuya was reluctantly assisting Mina with her assignments as Eiji did the same with Lita, both of them leaning against the other thinking less and less of school and more on each other when Serena had a jealousy attack.

Seeing how close Ami was to Darien sent Serena into another stint that ended up in the classical battle of razzing-tongues with Rei when Lita suddenly commented on how it smelled kind of smoky. Eiji closed his eyes and took a whiff for himself and was about to comment on someone's barbeque being overdone when a small pint-sized voice suddenly yelled out, "FIRE!" which, of course, lead to a massive group hysteria from the girls. The guys tried to get them to calm down but with the lot of them running around like chickens with their heads cut off it was hard for the girls to listen to reason until, finally, Rei ended up tripping over her feet and turning on the fire extinguisher all over the Darien's apartment.

Which lead to now.

Takuya was literally livid with rage, his long brown hair filled with enough of the extinguisher gass that it looked white. He was doing his best to keep from blowing his top seeing as Eiji's girlfriend was amongst the group of 'useless idiots' and Takuya had no desire to end up fighting him. Not without a weapon on hand anyway. Eiji himself was most disappointed and let it show on his face as he shook his head at Lita, who looked more than abashed over how she had acted.

Darien sighed and shut his laptop, ignoring the extinguisher-dust that flew out from its lid. "The 'raging inferno' that you all so bravely fought," he said with more than enough sarcasm, "was the smoke from a fish that had gotten over-barbequed two floors down." Diana, Rini's kitten, mewed sadly and, knowing that the young kitten of Artemis and Luna would speak if she didn't interrupt, Rini decided to take the blame for what had happened.

"I'm sorry…" she sniffled, fake tears in her eyes. She was, after all, Serena's 'sister'.

"It's not your fault, Rini." Rei smiled reassuringly. "It's because I went down to Serena's level and panicked."

"What was that?!" exclaimed Serena. "So it's my fault?!"

"Serena!" scolded both Mina and Ami while Eiji and Takuya shot her a firm glare. Successfully cowed, Serena lowered her head in shame, her fingers pressing against each other in embarrassment.

"But what are you going to do, Darien? You can't use this room for a while…" said Lita.

"Yes, I know…" Darien sighed. "And the timing couldn't be worsed. This report has to be finished by TOMORROW."

"You can come and stay at my temple, Darien. There's lots of room and you can stay as long as you need." Rei offered. Serena immediately went livid.

"What? No! Absolutely not! If he's going to stay over, it will be at MY place!" Rini shot the bun-haired girl a look.

"How are you going to explain him to Mom and Dad?" Serena grinded her teeth in frustration before suddenly shooting a hopeful look towards Eiji and Takuya.

"Aw hell no!" Takuya said. "We ain't got the room at our place!"

"Father said this, 'Good things happen when you put other people's needs before your own.' However, with Shiro rooming with us, we've got very little space to spare and I'm afraid that Darien wouldn't be able to concentrate in peace."

Serena sighed in defeat, so much for that plan…

--

"So… are you still mad at me?" Lita looked up, gods above how she liked that, into her boyfriend's eyes. He looked down at her and sighed, pressed the knuckles of his right hand gently on the top of her head.

"Just remember to look before you leap alright?" Eiji pulled a chunk of his hair in front of his eyes. "I don't think gray is my color."

Lita giggled girlishly and hugged his arm tight as the other girls looked around the stone pillar where a shiisa rested on its pedestal to see Rei's grandfather greeting Darien after Rei finished explaining the situation to him.

"I'm sorry that my little Rei has troubled you." Eiji smirked. Little would not be the best word choice for Grandpa Hino, seeing as he was half Rei's height. "I humbly apologize." He bowed before Darien, who looked quite uncomfortable with how the old man was acting.

"It's not like that! Please, don't bow."

"No, no! If that is to be, you can stay here a year, even two!" said Grandpa Hino, still bowing.

"Sheesh, Grandpa, you're overreacting." Hino smiled and stood up and looked over Darien, with Diana being held in one hand.

"But in any case, he's a rather nice fellow." He looked at Rei out of the corner of his eye, a sly smile on his face. "Guess you must like the boy."

"He just a friend, Grandpa!" Rei blushed in embarrassment.

"Well, this Hikawa Shrine has traditionally been a righteous place, but I don't have a successor… So I want Rei to find a good man to marry into our family and become my successor." Hino bounced around Darien, looking him over more closely as Serena fumed in the background.

"That old man!" she growled. "I'm going to take Darien back with me!" She made to go over and drag her beau if she had to when Mina and Ami pulled her back. "Let go of me!"

"It's alright!" said Chad, picking up Darien's suitcase. "I've been training here a long time now but I've never been approached to be Rei's husband." Chad laughed to himself as Serena shot him a withering glare.

"That's because it's YOU, Chad."

"That's a little rude, Serena," chastised Ami as Chad tried to recover from the crushing blow to his ego. "Even though Darien used to date Rei…"

"Eh?" Eiji blinked in surprise. "I didn't know they went out." Chad lost his grip on Darien's suitcase and dropped it on his foot. He yelled in pain and proceeded to jump around on one foot while the group ignored him.

"Is that true? They used to date?" asked Rini.

"I-It was a LONG time ago!" said Mina, hoping to defuse the ticking time-bomb that was known as Serena.

"Now, Rei doesn't feel anything for him…!" Lita waved a hand dismissfully.

"Right!" Ami nodded. "Beside, Rei said she's already got a boy—Whoops!" Ami clasped her hands over her mouth and blushed in embarrassment.

"What? Rei's got a boyfriend?!" screeched Mina. Chad screamed in agony and slammed facefirst into a tree, knocking himself out cold.

"No-Not really, I mean, she said…" Ami slowly backed away from the girls that slowly drew closer to her, their eyes alight with curiousity.

"Too bad that Saito beat you to it. Ah well, I like him more anyway." Grandpa Hino waved a hand while Rei buried her face in her hands in embarrassment. "Saito! Come and show Darien to the guest room will you?" The girls, plus Eiji, quickly went back to their spot behind the pillar and looked as another priest-in-training stepped out from behind the temple. He was a tall boy, just short of Darien's height really, and had dark green hair, some of which was cropped over his right eye. His eyes were a vibrant of green and were almost aglow with their sheen.

"What the… Shiro?" muttered Eiji before shutting his own trap. He didn't need empathy to know that he had suddenly gained the attention of the girls beside him. Two familiar words seemed to echo in his mind.

'_Sheer Stupidity._'

--

Rei sighed to herself, her face still slightly flushed in embarrassment both from her grandfather's antics earlier that day and… Darn it, the redness was back. Rei buried her face in her hands and tried not to giggle but she really couldn't help it. She had a boyfriend! An honest-to-the-spirits boyfriend! She wasn't even sure how it happened really, but boy was she glad it did. She smiled as she remembered back to about a week-and-a-half ago, when Shiro Saito first entered her life and the events that soon followed.

_FLASHBACK_

_It was early in the morning, too early for fun and too late to stop in the middle, so Rei kept on with her portion of the chores, her mind and, though she'd deny it in a flash, her heart troubled by recent events. Her friends were slowly drifting apart from each other. Well, not truly drifting away but Rei could see their eyes focusing less on the job at hand and more at the three males that had somehow entered their lives. Lita was in an actual relationship with Eiji Kusanagi, both just a few steps away from saying the dreaded yet so pleasantly desired L-word. Ami was constantly being flirted and complimented by Morisato Akichi who positively adored her shyness and wasn't at all put off by her brainy-ness. Mina was making goo-goo eyes at the sexist Takuya Yashima and seemed to actually be succeeding in cracking the jerk's tough exterior._

_Rei didn't bother thinking about Serena and Darien._

_She sighed and glanced skyward. What she had with Darien was easily described as puppy-love at best and they were good friends now but still… First love and all that aside, it was nice having a boyfriend of her own and now irony was reigning supreme in her life. Her friends, those whom she privately thought would never get a boyfriend before herself, had prime options available to them and, in the case of Mina and Ami, looked ready to actually receive whatever affections the boy's were willing to offer._

_If she weren't so prideful, Rei would have cried._

_"Hello? Lady Priestess?" A male voice too close for comfort surprised her out of her depressed thoughts. Turning, Rei was about to snap at whoever snuck up on her but the words died on her tongue as she stared at the dark-emerald haired boy standing before her dressed in a familiar school uniform. She had seen it on the boys a few times whenever they met but, seeing as it was summer break, they hadn't worn them lately and this boy was no doubt a member of their school but Rei did not recall ever hearing mention of such, such a hunk! He was around Morisato's height and had a build that was a mix between Mori's and Eiji's own and though a portion of his hair did fall over his right eye, Rei could see that both were a brilliant shade of neon green that seemed to burn with their intensity. What was rather odd though was that his right arm was covered by a black leather glove that extended up past his elbow and disappeared into the sleeve of his t-shirt._

_"Ye-Yes? Can I help you?" Rei mentally cursed herself for squeaking like that. He smiled, seemingly ignorant of her slip, and nodded._

_"I wish to be taken on as a practioner of your temple and perhaps even as a priest-in-training. That is, if it's okay with you Lady Priestess." He bowed, making her pink flush burn a deep crimson to match her hakama._

_"Please, no need to bow. As for working here, you'd have to speak with my grandfather. He is the Head Priest of our temple. Are you sure you're up to the job?" She hoped that taking a cocky tone would steel herself better but she felt herself melting when he stood and smiled at her as though she had delivered to him the greatest gift he could ask for._

_"Aut viam inveniam aut faciam Lady Priestess." Rei blinked and blushed at the same time. Oh this boy had his own quirks too it seemed._

_"Please, call me Rei." He nodded. "What's your name?"_

_"Shiro Saito, Lady Rei." Well, it was a start anyway…_

_It took Shiro two days to become Chad's worst enemy in his attempts of winning her affection even though the boy knew quite well that she wasn't in any way interested in him. Though he did try his best to be the good aspiring monk that, he believed, would earn him Rei's good graces, it just wasn't enough for her. True, she had no actual desire to leave her temple but she didn't want to be stuck here for the rest of her life, something that she had found herself confessing to Shiro on his second day._

_"What then would you like to do, Lady Rei?" asked Shiro as he swept in front of the main temple doors. Mentally, Rei sighed to herself. She couldn't get him to stop calling her lady even outside of her priestess garb._

_"I don't know really… singer, actress… I know I want to be a career-woman but…" Rei sighed to herself. "I'm not really that good at acting and I was only able to write one song, which was stressful enough thank you."_

_"Ah, but I heard you sang quite beautifully." Shiro argued. Rei quirked an eyebrow at that._

_"Oh? And how do you know that?"_

_"Little Brother has told me of you girls." Shiro shrugged. "He told me his girlfriend, what was her name… ah, yes. Miss Lita had told him about a talent show you participated in."_

_"Lita?" Rei blinked in surprise. "Wait, you're Eiji's older brother?" Eiji never mentioned any family besides his deceased father, whom he only quoted from time to time._

_"Not in blood but yes, he and I are related." Shiro smiled sadly and glanced skyward. "I was engaged to his sister."_

_"Oh…" Rei felt her heart break just a little bit. So much for… wait, was? She voiced the question._

_"She died," said Shiro, his eyes downcast. "A few years ago…"_

_"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring up any sad memories."_

_Shiro shook his head. "Eiji and I dealt with her death in our ways. We've moved on, Lady Rei. She'd be sad if we hadn't. I'm sure Asagi-chan would have loved Lita. And you if I may be so bold."_

_"Huh? Why do you say that?" Rei asked._

_"When Eiji spoke of you, it was like he was talking about Asagi." Shiro smiled teasingly. "Though Asagi never had a temper like your's I'm afraid."_

_She threw her broom at him for that and ended up chasing him for a good portion of that morning though they laughed about it later._

_It took Rei five days to ask him out. She had started the day rather off in her opinion, glancing at him every now and again and opening her mouth as though to speak but thinking better of it at the last moment. After spending the majority of his morning activities watching her strange antics, Shiro decided it was indeed better to ask. _

_"Is there something the matter, Lady Rei?" asked Shiro. "Has Chad been bothering you?" Inwardly, Rei smiled at the slight edge in Shiro's voice. After a rather heated one-sided confrontation that ended with Rei yelling at them both, the duo had agreed that if they couldn't be civil with each other, they'd do their best to stay out of the other's way. Actually, it was Chad who agreed to this while Shiro just kept on with his duties at the temple when he had the time and ignored the boy completely unless he was bothering Rei with another attempt at a date._

_"I was just coming by to let you know that gaijin film I wanted to see has finally been released." Shiro nodded in understanding._

_"Is there anything you wish of me to do while you are gone, Lady Rei? I've not got any plans until this evening." _

_Rei blushed and clasped her hands tight, her eyes looking downwards. "Actually I… I was wondering if you'd…" She whispered the next part so quietly, she barely heard herself say anything._

_Shiro blinked and quirked his head to the side, his hair falling past his eye. "I beg your pardon, Lady Rei but did you just ask if I'd accompany you?" Too embarrassed to speak, she nodded once. Shiro stared at her in silence, his face blank and his eyes slightly glazed over as though he was thinking back on something. He looked at the watch on the back of his right hand and seemed to smile though it didn't quite reach his eyes._

_"If such a request is made, who am I to deny?" Shiro said. "Shall we go change then, milady?"_

_What followed certainly was not one of the most romantic dates Rei had ever experienced but it was enough for her to firmly believe that Shiro could definitely become "The One" in her life. True, he did act rather odd a few times, making it a point that only his left hand ever touched her and that she never took his right arm. An old injury he said, but of what nature he never admitted and she didn't pry, too pleased that yes, finally, she had gotten herself a boyfriend. Of course, they'd only been on one date but Shiro did say he wouldn't mind accompanying her again. So it wasn't all that surprising that Rei couldn't contain herself and had to brag to somebody and so Ami found out just why Rei had been so intent on staying at the temple later than she normally would._

_END FLASHBACK_

Rei giggled to herself once more before taking her small supply of bathing materials and heading out the door towards the onsen-like bath. She knew that Darien was in his room working on his report and Chad had already taken his daily bath earlier that day. Rei would have thought to consider that maybe Shiro was using the bath for himself as well, but he though he sometimes spent the night at the temple, he had never used the warm onsen that her shrine offered. It is rather ironic that her thoughts which were focused on the boy in question was exactly what prevented her from considering the idea in the first place.

Rei idly noted the door was slightly opening, letting out a nice cloud of steam though the windows of the bath could easily have done the same. The brunette-haired priestess walked in calm and happy as can be before shrieking like a banshee and running out, her eyes wide and her cheeks a whole new definition to the color red. She buried her face into her hands and stuttered many apologies even as she heard a hurried splash of water from the bathtub.

"Oh my gosh I can't believe that just happened!" Rei gasped to herself as she ran back to her room, her arms clutching her bathing supplies tight to her chest.

--

Shiro slowly rose his head up from the water and blinked at open door before sinking back down until only the top of his head could be seen. Beneath the water, one could see that Shiro had a near death-drip on his right arm which was, despite still having the leather glove on, wrapped in a plastic medical bag used for when certain wounds couldn't get wet. The medical bag was fastened to just above his elbow, a little ways above his glove, and was completely airtight.

"That… could have gone better…" He slowly sat up and held up his right arm. '_Did she see…? No, it was too quick and she knows enough about it to not ask._' His fist clenched and he felt more than heard the sound of gears shifting before glancing out towards the open windows where thick clouds of steam escaped into the nighttime air. The water was getting warmer, near the boiling point, and the bottom of the bath felt like molten metal but despite all this Shiro didn't seem at all bothered. Sighing to himself, he scrubbed his hair clean even as his eyes flashed in molten-colored light.

"Rei… Just what are you?" She had slipped past his guard, her aura now actually unseen more like… hidden. Yes, hidden behind a veil of some sort almost as though she was hiding… He sat up straighter, eyes wide. It couldn't be! Despite the order, he had never thought he'd actually succeed. '_No, wait a moment Shiro._' He leaned back, head resting against the warm bathtub. '_Remember, vulpes pilum mutat, non mores. The others would have noticed the similarities they…_' Shiro trailed off. '_No. It couldn't be…_' He stretched his arms and turned his head, his pupils stretching to match those of a reptile before glowing with molten light. He saw past the walls, past the energies of life and saw not one but two distinct Auras. One he recognized as Rei but the other he had to assume by the person's shape, which was hard to see given that this person's aura, though veiled like Rei's, was shining as brighter than any normal person's should.

'_Serena,_' he realized. '_It's Serena._' That was it then. There was a chance that, because of her life as a priestess, Rei could have spiritual powers that gave her some control over her aura but there was no chance that Serena, of all people, could have the same skill. Memories that he had brushed aside like an errant housefly speared through his mind. It all made sense now. The strange residue mana that permeated the temple, the five girls, so different from each other yet as close as sisters, and the kitten in the other room. Gods, how could he have missed that? Rei said herself that the kitten, what was her name? Diana? Yes, Diana was the daughter of Serena's cat Luna and Mina's cat Artemis.

While he had never seen Mina's cat for himself, the name alone should have been a clue.

He looked towards the other wall, eyes still glowing, and saw another strange aura. It was veiled yes but it wasn't the same as the girls. It was like… Shiro frowned. It was like it was being choked, forced back down to a weaker level than it actually was. Just his luck that he would solve one mystery and find many more in its wake. Shiro sighed and sank down beneath the water. He tried to see past the boundaries of the temple walls but could not see past the temple bell. He silently cursed, whatever dampening effect that had taken the others had finally affected him as well.

He couldn't see.

He paused considering for a moment before lifting up his left hand, palm upwards, and concentrated. He stared hard at the hand even as wisps of steam began to float from its rapidly drying surface but Shiro paid it no heed as he futilely tried to test his power. A spark of flame, miniscule in life and size, was all he got for his efforts. He lowered the hand back into the water and repressed the urge to sigh once more. He sank back down into the water until he was completely under, his eyes still open and staring up into the light above. He smiled somewhat lazily to himself, his eyes drifting close as the thought played itself across his head. '_It really is no surprise then why I've been drawn here, like the moth to the flame._' He laughed, relasing bubbles of air. '_She and I are one and the same. Beings of spiritual might, beings of fire._

'_Sailor Mars, indeed…_'

--

He was miles away when it occurred but, being the closest, Shiro felt the disturbance all the same. He stumbled on his feet for a moment before the realization of just where the disturbance was spurred him to his feet and had him running like the forces of Hell were at his heels. That that phrase and reverse it, and you would truly understand Shiro's concern. You may question tough, just why would anyone run into the danger instead of away from it and some might just question the sanity of it but if there was just one trait in Shiro that was both honorable and undesirable, it was his willingness to sacrifice himself for another. It cost him over the years, scars internal that would still bleed from time to time when the memories could no longer be denied. Those on the outside he could wait until they healed before going back into the firing squad and taking hits not meant for him. However, he was no Eiji Kusanagi and some wounds took longer than others. Some, like his arm, never healed at all.

'_That came from the temple!_' Shiro ran until he reached the onset of the temple stairs which he climbed faster than he had ever done but still it was all in vain. The battle was over and won, those victorious tending to their wounded and untransformed ally. Staying within the shadows of the shiisa statue, Shiro watched their familiarity with each other. They were sisters not in blood but in a shared duty with one another. He felt a presence at the back of his mind looked skyward where a stunning white unicorn with wings of the eagles hovered above, completely unseen by those without the eyes of Mana.

The horned equine stared at him as though looking past the skin and soul, searching for something beneath what could be seen even by Shiro's eyes, before shaking his head. Shiro knew that the unicorn was aware of the girls' secret being out of the bag, but Shiro knew, from Takuya's own recount of his encounter with the flying horse, that Pegasus knew the secrets of the Kamen Riders. However, the horse himself was a secret beyond what the Scouts, or even their and the Kamen Riders' mutual enemies, were completely aware of and somehow, though the unicorn chose not to speak to him directly, Shiro knew that the horse was trusting him.

Why?

He was a stranger here, in this world of unbelievable peace and had not been here as long as the others and had thus far fought the enemy once.

It didn't matter to Pegasus. He saw past the here and now and saw the then and there. He knew what Shiro was, more than Shiro himself knew, and had bowed his head to him, confusing the boy, before fading from sight. The message was strange but it was clear. He was being given an opportunity and Shiro knew more than anyone else not to waste such a thing. He had somehow gained the horse's respect, Shiro had seen his eyes on his arm and knew the unicorn was aware of his handicap. What he was to do with that respect was up to him and, to be blunt, Shiro didn't have a clue as to what to do. He'd have to wait and be patient, speed wasn't the key here.

He'd have to take after the tortoise and go slow and steady to win this race.

--

--

TIME BREAK

--

--

"She's pretty good," stated Lita, her arms crossed as she gazed down at the duel below with a critical eye.

"She sure put up a big front as a swordsman. So she practices by fighting duels against anyone and everyone like that man, even they choose to use a real sword." Rei smiled as the young girl's opponent dropped to the ground, an obvious sign of victory to the younger swordsman, or, in this case, swordswoman.

"It's like we're watching some samurai drama!" Serena exclaimed in awe, her eyes focusing downwards by the riverbed.

"She's been camping in that tent under the bridge," said Rei, pointing towards the small makeshift tent where a small camp was set up.

"She's been down there for three days now, and fought ten guys who were confident in their swordsmanship but she hasn't lost one yet."

"Impressive," Eiji agreed, looking down at the young kedo-girl training beside the river. Her most recent opponent, freshly defeated in a combo that was surprisingly fast for one so young, walking away in shame. As well as one would be if one was defeated by another less than half their age and height. '_In a regular spar, she's quite the contender but still…_' Eiji's eyes narrowed. '_She's got one major weakness though._'

Serena grinned and nudged Eiji with her shoulder. "Maybe you should go down there and challenge her yourself, Eiji!"

The spiky-haired boy snorted. "I fight unarmed combat, Serena. It wouldn't be a proper duel if I fought her with my bare hands." Lita nodded in agreement with her boyfriend.

"He's right Serena, it really wouldn't be fair. … For Eiji." She smirked at his offended look.

"Oy! Girl!" The group of four looked downwards and saw, much to their surprise, one Takuya Yashima standing down before the young Miharu, dressed just in a red gi and black hakama, and a sheathed katana resting in his belt beside a wakizashi.

"Takuya?!" The ponytailed warrior ignored the group and focused his attention on kendo-ist.

"I've heard tell of a young girl claiming to be a student of a sword-style called the Unrivaled Sword, one Miharu Akiyama. I take it that's you, half-pint?"

"Yes, I am she." She looked at the sheathed blades at Takuya's side. He wasn't the first to bring a real blade but he was certainly the first to bring two, a sign of a true samurai. This was just the sort of opponent she had been waiting for! "Are you here to challenge me?"

"I am." Takuya nodded.

"Takuya, you idiot, what the hell do you think you're doing!" Eiji yelled, glaring down at the taller boy who looked up towards him.

"I plan on seeing if this girl has what it takes ta be a warrior of the sword." He looked over towards Miharu, "Don't worry, I ain't plannin' on drawing Battousai."

"What? He's not planning on drawing his sword? Why?" asked Rei.

Eiji's eyes narrowed and he leaned forward to better see the fight. "She's no where near ready to take on Takuya, even without his sword. Hell, even I have I hard time when he uses that blade."

Lita looked confused. "I thought you could easily beat Takuya, Eiji."

"In unarmed combat yeah I've got the edge, but when it's blade-to-blade." Eiji's face took on a slightly disgusted look. "He's the better fighter."

"Let's ignore the peanut gallery and get on with this!" Takuya looked annoyed as he shot a faintly surprised glare towards Eiji before focusing on Miharu. "I am Takuya Yashima of the Heaven's Flight-Dragon's Inspiration style, and I challenge you, Miharu Akiyama of the Unrivaled Sword style. Let's go, half-pint!"

With a battle-cry, Miharu charged forward as Takuya reciporated with a battle-cry of his own. Miharu dodged to the side, surprised at how fast Takuya could move and started to feel worried. There were few swordsman that could match her speed, what with her younger and more agile body and all, but Takuya obviously had no problem keeping up with her and matching her blow-for-blow.

The two clashed head-on and struggled to push the other back for but a moment before a smirking Takuya started pushing her back with ease, despite his taller stature upon her. "Quite the match are we runt? Me, the beanpole and you the midget. Sorry, but I ain't got time for you no more." Takuya roughly shoved her back and made to stab her with a forward thrust but, instead, sent his sword, scabbard and all, flying past her. As her eyes tracked the flying weapon, Miharu felt confused before she felt something jab her sharply in the back of the head. She gasped and looked up and behind her to see Takuya smirking down at her.

"I win." He stated, before walking over towards where his katana layed upon the ground and placing it back in his belt.

"You-You… You cheated! You threw your sword!" said Miharu, sounding much like the child she was. "That's against the rules!"

"As I recall, neither of us set any rules midget." Takuya said, annoyed with the girl, his blue eyes glaring down at her. "It ain't my fault you don't realize the truth about being a proper swordsman."

"What truth is that?" called an irate Rei. "Cheating and using dishonorable tactics!"

Takuya made to give her a rather rude hand-gesture but cut himself short at Eiji's fierce glare. "Don't look at me like that Kusanagi. You know I was in the right. Midget here has got potential, but if she ain't gonna fight like a true samurai, then I ain't gonna treat her like one." He looked down at the girl, a disapproving frown on his face. "I don't count this match as the real deal, half-pint. Challenge me when you're worth my time." He started walking away but stopped when Miharu called out to him.

"Why didn't you use your blade against me to begin with then?" she asked. "You thought I was good enough to challenge…"

Takuya tilted his head and turned to face the river. "Earth Dragon Strike!" Takuya pulled his sword free from its sheath and brought the blade fast against the ground and slashed it forward, sending pieces of earth and stone flying through the air until they landed on the opposite shore. Takuya held out his sword parallel to the ground, revealing the truth that, while it was still a sword, its blade was on the wrong side, before slashing it down and back into its sheath.

"Not until you become my enemy, midget." Takuya said, turning his back to girl and walking away, ignoring the stunned looks he was receiving from the girls.

--

The next day, Takuya entered the parlor that he had been frequenting lately and saw, much to his chargrin, a group of familiar girls he'd rather not have to deal with. However, seeing as this group of females was currently torturing his grounder of a rival, Takuya decided to stick around and see just what was going on that even Eiji's girlfriend would go against him in such a manner.

"Come on Eiji! Tell us! What's up with Takuya's sword?" begged Serena and Rini in unision, their hands clasped before them pleadingly. Eiji rolled his eyes and looked to his girlfriend for support and saw that she and Mina both were matching the bun-haired girls. Rei was visibly torn between matching them and just outright demanding the truth. Ami was merely leaning forward looking incredibly interested as well as the three cats that had been brought along, though the kitten merely looked confused at the antics.

Eiji sighed and shook his head. "I'm not one to brag about another person's past."

"Not even your own, hypocrite." Takuya muttered to himself before drawing the girls' attention to him as he walked over to the group. "Why do you girls give a damn anyway? It ain't like I use my sword." As he sat down beside Mina, he couldn't help but think, '_Not that much anyway…_'

"We were just curious, that's all Takuya." Ami said, hoping to cut Takuya's infamous temper at the fore. "I've certainly never read of any sword with a reversed blade."

"You wouldn't." Takuya stated bluntly. "Battousai is the sole one of its kind, created for my ancestor back during the ending years of the Bakumatsu, just before the first year of the Meiji Era."

"Why would your ancestor want a sword like that?" Mina asked leaning slightly against Takuya's side earning a silent stare from the boy, who looked only mildy uncomfortable and not at all angry as he usually would be when one of the girls touched him in such a manner.

"… My ancestor, my many-time great-grandfather, fought on the Imperialist side during the war. As the war progressed, he slowly earned a name for himself by his mastery of the sword-draw and his godlike speed. Because of his high success rate in any mission he was given, he had become someone both awed and feared on both sides and so earned himself as warrior's name.

"They called him Battousai the Manslayer."

"Manslayer?" Rei gulped. "As in…?"

"An assassin, yes." Takuya nodded, his eyes dark as he thought back on what his grandfather had taught him of their family's history. "He killed for the hopes of a better Japan, a Japan without killing. When the war was over, he left and became a wandering warrior, helping those who he could with the sword that I use now. He made a vow, to never take a life again and to help any life that so needed it, even if it would cost him his own. It was my grandfather who named the sword after my ancestor's war-name so that all of us in the clan would remember this promise and uphold it to our dying days as well."

"Wow…" Mina whispered, hearts in her eyes as she gazed up at Takuya. "You really are a cool guy…" Either she didn't know that she was saying this aloud or Mina was too deep into her emotions to truly care, either way, Takuya was, for the first time since any of the girls met him, blushing.

"Feh!" He crossed his arms and looked away. "Enough with the damn girl-talk. I've got a job to get back to. See ya." Without another word, he stalked off towards the exit though he did pause to look back once more at Mina, a small smile flickering across his face for but an instant before he left the store.

Eiji smiled knowingly. "I'll be damned. It took me twenty fights to get that much out of him. You must have the quite the effect on him, Mina."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Never mind," said Eiji with a shake of his head. "Now, weren't we going to be talking about a trip to the beach?"

--

"Sempai! Wait, Sempai!" Had he not been alone on the path towards one of his favorite look-outs, Takuya would have brushed the word off as being described to someone else entirely. As it was that he alone was the only person there beside the caller, Takuya couldn't help but feel both an immense sense of pride with a smidgeon of surprise.

'_Sempai?_' Takuya grinned to himself. '_I can get used to that._'

He turned to the caller and saw none other than the young Miharu dressed not in her training garb but a small dress and blouse decorated with butterflies. He quirked an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest, reeking of impatience as the girl tried to get her breath back. "What do ya want midget?"

Said midget glared indignantly up at him for a moment as she caught her breath and bowed before him. "Thank you for the match!"

"Eh, it was worth the time." Takuya shrugged before looking at her with a critical eye. "Do you know the truth yet, midget?"

"Yes, I do. I'll continue to training to be the best swordswoman but I won't ignore everything else either." Miharu said.

Takuya stared at her in silence for a moment before smiling softly. "Go on, you've got a few childhood years left." He turned and started once more up the hill, leaving a silent Miharu behind who soon turned and started to walk back the way she came when Takuya suddenly called out to her. "Hey Miharu!" She turned and looked up towards him in surprise, that was the first time he had called her by her name. "I want a real match worth my time when next we meet, got that midget?"

Miharu blinked before smiling and nodded. "I'll do my best, Sempai!"

--

--

TIME BREAK

--

--

"Hey there ladies!" A teenaged boy who obviously wasn't aware that speedos only worked if you had the body for them stood cockily in front of the group, his two cronies at his side. One had a decent build but had lips like a fish while the other was barrel-chested with a torso to match to put it nicely. "Would you like to go swimming with us?"

"We know a lot about this area." Fish-lips said while Barrel-boy chuckled. Rei, Lita, and Serena spared them only a mild glance while Mina herself gave them a brief scrutinizing one.

"They're hitting on us," whispered Rei.

"You know it," muttered Mina in disgust. Barrel-boy was leering at her in a way she did not like.

"Yo, Lita." Eiji walked towards them, two bottles of dripping cold soda in his hands. "Got your soda for ya." He spared the trio of boys a glance before handing Lita her drink as Takuya and Shiro came up from the beach.

"Oy vey," muttered Takuya. "I haven't seen so much silicon outside a toystore before. Yo Mina, got anymore of that sunblock? I'm turning into a lobster over here."

"The water's quite nice Lady Rei, are you sure you don't wish to join me for a swim?" asked Shiro, his right arm wrapped in its medical glove. He glanced over towards the three boys and feigned surprise. "Oh, are these friends of your's?"

"Or are they bothering you?" asked Takuya. "Please say they are." He cracked his knuckles loudly, grinning quite ferally at the boys. Eiji mimicked the move and let his eyes gain a slight reddish tint. The three stooges took off running as if they lives depended on it.

"Feh, I could have handled them easy." Eiji stifled a sighed and glanced down at Serena's younger brother.

"Father said this, 'Be confident in yourself, but don't take unnecessary risks.' Why fight a battle when you can win the war? Leave the girls in our capable hands and go and do whatever kids these days do." Lita giggled at her boyfriend's choice of words.

"You sound like an old man, Eiji." The brunette stuck his tongue out at her as he sat down beside her.

"Eiji's right Sammy." Ami stepped up to the group with Morisato and Rini trailing up behind her. "You don't have to worry about us, so why don't you go and take a swim for a while? It feels nice." Sammy blushed pink as Rini grabbed his hand.

"Yeah, let's go Sammy!" Rini tugged on his hand, which he pulled quickly out of her grip as he ran towards the water.

"It's all right, I can go by myself…!" He disappeared into the crowd of beach-goers.

"What was that?" asked Serena.

"Ami is strangely nice to Sammy, so I think he might have a crush on her." Mina smiled girlishly.

"It must be an older woman's charm!" Rei said.

"That explains the blushing," said Eiji dryly

"And the stupid way he's acting around her." Takuya gruffed before turning back to the task of applying sun lotion to his arms.

"What's that? What are you talking about?" Serena was confused as to their reasoning. "He's just a kid!"

"As if that would matter…" murmured Rini, her eyes dreamily staring off into the distance.

Morisato chuckled to himself before looking at a surprised Ami. "Am I going to have to compete for your attention now, Water Sprite?" Ami could only blush in embarrassment at Morisato's teasing.

--

'_Like the infamous graboid, I burrow through the underground, drawing ever closer to my prey._' Morisato would have smiled but that would have gotten sand in his mouth, which would totally ruin the moment. Right now, he was buried completely under the sand with a water reed serving as a organic snorkel for air. He knew that the girls had showed him and the other guys off for some serious girl-talk, but they never said anything but not spying on them.

"So come on Ami, spill!" Mina leaned forward eargerly. "What's up with you and Morisato?"

'_Jackpot!_'

"Th-There's nothing to say really…" Ami murmured, almost too quiet for Mori to hear. "I don't think love is something to hurry yourself into… If your partner is decided by God with the red string of fate then there will be a time for you to meet him… And I think you feel something special when you meet someone of that sort."

Morisato was grinning like a fool on the inside. This was just the opening he was looking for! He knew that Ami wasn't the sort to be swept off her feet by gifts and offers of free trips, like the jerk from earlier attempted to do with his Water Sprite. Morisato needed something more practical to win her heart and blast it all, he'd get enough red string to tie up Tokyo Tower three-times over if that's what it would take!

"A destined partner huh?" Serena giggled. "Like Darien and I!"

"Yeah, yeah, we've had enough!" interrupted Mina.

"I think you might have your standards a bit to high there, Ami." Lita said.

"You'll keep passing by even your destined match if you never make first contact." Rei agreed. "In your case, Ami… don't you think you can be a little more assertive?"

"Maybe so." Ami smiled.

"But there's one thing you girls seem to be forgetting," said a female voice Morisato didn't recognize. "Even if Ami starts dating Morisato, she can't keep her secret from him forever you know."

"This goes for you too, Lita, Rei." A male voice said.

'_What the…? Who are these guys? What secret?_' Morisato shifted closer in the sand, drawing no attention to himself.

"Don't you think you're being a bit harsh, Luna?" asked Rini. '_Luna?_' Morisato blinked behind his goggles. '_Serena's… cat? She can talk?_'

"Luna does make an excellent point you guys. Can you honestly tell me that the thought of lying to the boys appeals to you? They are virtually members of our group and yet we know as much about them as they do us. Nothing."

"Artemis!" scolded Mina. '_Oh man, Mina's cat too? What the hell is going on here?_'

"What's that supposed to mean?" growled Lita. "Eiji's never lied to me!"

"He didn't tell you about his trips to the hospital," said Luna.

"To visit his guardian! It wasn't any of my business anyway!"

"How about the fact that one of them is always nearby when an attack occurs?" argued Artemis. "They could be the enemy in disguise."

"Or they could be the Kamen Riders, which is even more unlikely!" exclaimed Rei. Morisato bit back the urge to curse. That was too—

Wait. The enemy? Who were they talking… about…

……

Oh.

My.

God.

It can't be!

"As Sailor Scouts, it is your duty too—" Luna started to say only to be interrupted by a group of children running past. Fortune seemed to smile on Morisato at that moment for the cloud of sand and dust provided adequate cover for him to leave the scene as fast as he could through sand and dirt.

--

"I don't believe this," said Morisato, kicking an errant crab back towards the ocean as he walked along the deserted side of the beach. "How could I have been so careless! It was right there in the beginning! For machina's sake, I called her by it and even I missed it!"

Morisato shook his head and buried his face into his hands. "God, what am I going to do? I can't tell, Aniki. This could devastate whatever relationship he's got with Lita! And Shiro-Bro, he had finally gotten over Asagi-chan and had ended up with Rei. Tak-kun… Morisato didn't even want to think of how Tak-kun would react. He slumped down onto the sand and sighed balefully. "This, is one big web of lies isn't it?" He looked towards the setting sun, the sky a stunning shade of red and orange. "Heh, red at night, sailor's delight…" Mori muttered to himself. "I suppose that tomorrow, I shall win the lottery."

A scream shattered through the air and had he not lived such a life as his, Morisato would have brushed it off as a beachgoer some distance away but his life and his training had him up on his feet and running towards where the scream came from, his mind already analyzing the scream. It wasn't just the fact that it was a scream of pain, of someone being raped to their deepest core, it was the familiarity that had Morisato down on all fours and running faster than ever before.

"AMI!"

--

Tigers-Eye twisted his whip tight in his hands, his frustration reaching a childish peak. This hard-headed girl, the one that Mistress Zirconia handpicked herself, was not the one he was looking for! She had beautiful dreams but none with Pegasus! He looked up towards his Remless, the screaming human pump Panko, as she giggled in glee. The Sailor Scouts hadn't guessed what color ball she regurgitate so she pulled out one of her special blue orbs, which was twice the size of her head and contained twice the amount of explosive power as a red or white ball.

"I'm leaving the rest for you, Ponko!" Tigers-Eye bit his thumb and glared at the downed Sailor Scouts. "Sheesh, this pisses me off!" He backflipped out of sight and Ami fell to the ground. Panko laughed with glee and smacked her ample chest hard.

"The show is nearing it's climax!" She began to lightly smack her chest in quicker repetition, hoping to pull out the doozy of a silver ball when a deep, angry growl made her pause. She stiffened and swallowed noisly, slowly turning in the air to see Kamen Rider Anguirus standing in a large hole near the cave ceiling, parallel to her. His orange visor was virtually aglow and his scar shining as he raised up a clawed hand towards her head.

He closed his fist and Panko suddenly found herself unable to breathe. A translucent shield of orange light had surrounded her head and was stopping her from receiving any air. She gasped and fell to the ground, struggling to gain precious oxygen that was being denied to her by Anguirus' force-shield. The Spiked Rider stared down at her and decided to be merciful. He stopped the force-field just a few seconds before his Ankylo Hammer fell down upon her head.

"_Ancient Strike!_" The cave shook only slightly with the force of the blow, but it was more than enough to destroy the Remless. Anguirus stood slowly, his back to the Scouts who eyed him with slight apprehension. This was not the jovial Rider they remembered. Without looking back, Anguirus began to walk away but paused at the cave entrance.

"Secrets can kill you know," he whispered, his electric-distorted voice echoing in the cave. "But sometimes, the truth can do the same. Think about what you must say and do. Shall you make the first step, we too shall reciprocate. Until next we meet." A glint of sunlight bounced off his armor, and he was gone to the wind.

--

--

TIME BREAK

--

--

"Mina has a boyfriend?!" exclaimed Rei.

"I was shocked!" said Serena, nodding.

"I see…" murmured Lita, a happy smile on her face.

"I guess all that's left is for Ami to get together with Morisato and then our group is complete, neh?" Rei smirked at Ami, who blushed and returned to her textbook.

"That's just it, it isn't Takuya!" exclaimed Serena.

A subtle creak of glass that none could hear.

"Huh? Then who is it?" asked Rei.

"I don't know," said Rini. "He looked kind, tall, and…" Rei's eyes narrowed as did Lita's. Both Eiji and Shiro were tall, taller than them anyway, and were both rather kind. It didn't help that Mina still made the occasional goo-goo eye at them.

"Was his hair long, and didn't he look a bit on the bad side?" asked Diana from atop Rini's head.

"That's not quite it… He seemed serious…" said Serena, trailing off as she noticed that Diana was looking down at the street. Serena looked for herself and gasped in shock, the other girls pushing in close to look downwards for themselves to see Mina talking to a long-haired biker still astride his hog, a spare helmet in his hands.

"It's not the boyfriend we saw the other day!" exclaimed Serena.

"And… he's handsome too." They watched as Mina blew a kiss towards the departing biker as he rode away.

There was a snap, like someone's jaw clenching tight.

"Hi, guys! Sorry to keep you waiting!"

"Mina… who was that?"

"Oh… Jack?" Mina smiled as she took a seat next to Lita. "He's a roadie aspiring to become a rock musician! He flirted with me at a club." Mina clasped her hands as if in prayer, her shining eyes glimmering upwards toward the ceiling. "It's a crime to be so beautiful…"

The girls sweatdropped at that before Serena leaned forward, hands on the table, and asked, "Then, who were you walking with the other day?"

"Oh, no, you saw me!?" Mina acted as though she was embarrassed. "That was Charlie, who goes to art college. 'You bring out my desire for creation!' He asked me to be a model for his art next time he's drawing!" Mina did a pose like what a model would for a photographer. She blushed and made as though to kiss an invisible suitor. "Maybe it's for a nude model!" She wiped away illusory tears. "It's such a crime to be so beautiful…"

There was a rumble, like a jackhammer on the ground, yet it was hushed as though it was coming from being clenched teeth.

"Tw- tw- tw- tw- tw- tw- tw- tw- tw- tw- tw- tw- tw- tw- tw- tw- tw- tw-" Ami seemed unable to finish the word while Rei was glaring with mild disgust at Mina.

"D-Does that mean you're—"

"Isn't that two-timing?" asked a shocked Luna.

"Well Charlie is kind and looks out for me. But Jack is handsome, and I'm head over heels…" Mina gushed in excited glee. "Spring has finally come for me!" She laughed with utmost happiness.

An explosion of glass split through the air. Soda and ice spilled down onto the ground as the fierce rumble escalated into a terrifying growl. The girls jumped and looked to the table behind them and they gasped in shock.

"You… You…" Takuya stood to his feet, knocking the table completely over. "I can't believe I was such a damn fool! You miserable low-life!" He roared, pointing a finger at Mina's face. "You're just like every other damn woman I've ever met! A generous slut!" Mina flinched in shock, hurt by Takuya's harsh words. Tears began to appear in her eyes which only served to add fuel to Takuya's rage.

"Hey now, that's—" said Lita, a frown on her face.

"SHUT UP!" Lita flinched back, eyes wide with shock. "I don't want to hear it! Feh, women! No matter where you go, they'll always be the same! Arrogant, narcisstic backstabbers whose only goals in life are to break as many hearts as they can and fulfilling their carnal desire!" He noticed the looks he was getting from the other parlor patrons. "You want something from me!?" He roared angrily, averting their eyes. He huffed angrily before glaring back down at Mina. "Stay away from me and my family, troq. As far as I'm concerned, you're dead and dust."

He turned and stormed away, his eyes a stormy blue and a feral frown on his face. He didn't even wait for the sliding glass door to open, he punched the glass hard enough to shatter it and stepped through. One could practically feel the anger coming off Takuya in waves of fire but only those bessed with the skill of the empathic quarter of the sixth sense could feel that, underneath all that inferno of rage and hatred, there was a stormy sea of despair where pieces of a broken heart floated in the dark waves.

--

Shiro hummed lightly to himself as he continued to sweep the grounds of the Hikawa Shrine. It was looking to be a rather nice day with plenty of time to think on recent events. He didn't know how Morisato found out, but Shiro knew that the auto-obssesed boy had somehow managed to figure out who the Sailor Scouts were. Obviously, the younger Rider hadn't told Eiji, so Shiro was now stuck with trying to come up with a method of starting such a conversation with Morisato.

"SHIRO!"

Said boy nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise. He turned and saw a furious Rei Hino storming up to him. "Ha-Hai?"

"Where does that jerk friend of yours hang out?" It wasn't a question, it was a demand. A demand that, at the moment, Shiro knew better than to answer.

"I assume that you are speaking of Takuya. I do not know this city well enough to tell you of where he goes, Lady Rei." The priestess cursed under her breath with words that didn't necessarily shock Shiro, he was, after all, friends with Takuya, but it still surprised him that Rei knew such vocabulary. "Has he done something wrong?"

"Wrong? WRONG? I'll tell you what he did wrong! He called Mina a slut and broke her heart, that's what he did!" screeched Rei.

"What?" Now this was truly surprising. "Why would he say that? He adores… well, he cares deeply for Mina. He'd never call her that without due cause."

"Just what are you trying to say?" Rei's voice had a dangerous tone in it, one that spoke of great pain on Shiro's part if he didn't explain himself.

"There is nothing that I can say, Lady Rei, for I don't know the full facts. Please, tell me what happened."

--

Eiji winced. "She thought that going out with two guys at the same time would be a good idea? Where on earth did she get that conclusion?"

Lita sighed sadly, leaning against Eiji's shoulder, the same one she had smacked when he greeted her earlier. She had calmed down and had apologized to him, but she was still mad at Takuya for what he did. "She said that she was tired of waiting for him to make a move and thought that dating two men would make him jealous."

'_Well, it was Artemis to tell the truth,_' thought Lita. '_Mina had already run home in tears, damn you Takuya!_'

Eiji sighed and shook his head. "Shit, this is a disaster… Takuya will likely never trust another girl ever again because of Mina's foolhardy decision." Lita stiffened and glared at Eiji, who immediately felt her rage starting to simmer. "Before you decide to hit me again, let me tell you a story. Remember how I told you once that I had no experience with dates while Takuya was a whole separate case?"

"Yes…" Where was he going with this?

"Takuya once had a girlfriend of his own. A girlfriend who broke his heart and nearly destroyed his belief in humanity."

--

"What?" Ami blinked in surprise, the pig-tailed duo behind her copying the motion. "What do you mean, Morisato?"

The car mechanic twisted a nut tight before sighing and drying his forehead with a sweatrag. "Just as I said, Tak-kun fell in love and got dumped, but that isn't the story of it." He leaned against the car and looked towards the three girls. "You girls have to understand that Takuya is a very difficult person to read, and even more so to understand. He has his own way of life and keeps to his code like a true samurai. His entire family is gone and he's the sole heir to his once prestigious clan."

"I didn't know that…" whispered Rini. "I mean, the heir part."

"He kept it to himself." Morisato shrugged. "For good reason to. Whenever a girl fell in love with him, it was because he was Yashima, not Takuya."

"Uh… I don't get it… isn't that the same thing?" asked Serena. Morisato chuckled, despite the situation.

"Not at all. It means that any girl that fell in love with him wasn't actually in love with him, just his name and status. It's one of the reasons why he agreed to moved here to Juuban, to get away from the suitors. … And the memories."

--

"However, there was one girl that honestly didn't care about his fame. She loved Takuya for himself. At least, that's what we assumed." Shiro sighed.

"So what happened? She fall in love with someone else?" asked Rei, curious despite her rage towards the Yashima.

"If it were only that simple. No, as it turned out she was using him just like all the rest. She got close enough to his heart so that she could break it with her own hands." Shiro shook his head sadly. "Poor Takuya… he never got over it, even now…"

--

"She stole from him?" asked Lita.

"Yes," said Eij. "Takuya asked her to move in with him at his home and she slowly began to sell his family's artifacts one piece at a time. Takuya hated going through his family treasures, it reminded him too much of what he'd lost and how pressure was on him to have a heir. However, there was one person who did care…"

--

"Takuya's little sister?" Serena said in surprise. "But I thought you said that he was the sole heir of the Yashima clan."

"He was. Girls don't count as heirs because they'd have to change their last names, and they'd join the other clan. It's rare for men to change their last names, Serena," explained Ami. Morisato nodded.

"Exactly. Anyway, Kaoru-chan took notice of how certain items were disappearing and decided to sleep where the family sword, Battousai, was kept. Kaoru-chan saw her attempting to take it and confronted her about the thefts. It led to a fight and……" Morisato trailed off sadly looking downwards.

--

"She was too young, barely eight years old," said Shiro. "It shouldn't have happened, not to a child."

--

"She came to me and told me of her concerns, but I brushed her off, thinking she was too young to understand what was really going on." Eiji sighed. "If only I could go back and change what occurred…"

--

"Takuya came in soon afterwards, you know…" Morisato rambled. "Just minutes after it happened. I could hear his scream from my own home, it was a terrible sound."

--

"She was killed by Takuya's lover."

--

Kamen Rider Rodan stood atop the pillar overlooking the park where the first attack had occurred, his Cast-On activated with his holo-wings folded like a cape over his form. He had felt a change in the winds and had come quickly to the seen, hoping against hope that either the bird-freak or the tiger-freak would be the perpetrators just so that he could have the pleasure of destroying their Remless. The fish-pervert wouldn't be too bad, but he didn't feel up to castration at the moment. He arrived to see _**HER**_ in the hands of the hawk and the tiger both.

"Oh, this is rich." He growled, crossing his arms over his chest. "I think I might just sit back and enjoy the show."

He watched as the Amazon Duo both inserted their heads into **_HER_** Dream Mirror, earning pleas of mercy from the blonde. If wasn't until they stopped that Rodan realized that his hand had strayed to the hilt of his Primal Blade. Snorting in disgust, he turned his attention back towards the ground, his hand never leaving the sword. He watched in stoic silence as the Sailor Scouts appeared but frowned in confusion. Where was the fifth one? The so called "Goddess of Love & Beauty"?

"Not you annoying pumpkins again…!" growled Tigers-Eye, clenching his hand into a tight fist.

Hawks-Eye scoffed and called out into the air. "Come here, my Remless – the acrobatic shocking seesaw, Gittanko…"

"… and Bakkonko!" finished Tigers-Eye. Rodan tilted in his head in interest. 'Two at once?'

A duo armed with a seesaw of all things appeared out of the stretched, joined shadows of the Amazon Duo, one an adult dressed in blue and the other much younger dressed in pink. Rodan's grip on his sword tightened, his teeth clenching behind his mask. He knew that the Amazon Duo wasn't aware of his presence, they would have called him out if they did, but that didn't stop Rodan from jumping to the conclusion that they were making a mockery out of him.

He watched as the girls seemingly seeked to humiliate themselves by losing to such a ridiculous pair of Remless. Where was the other one? The one with the ribbon and blonde hair? He growled to himself. Late more often than—

…

Ribbon in her hair…

"_Slicing Hurricane Gale!_" A blade of vacuumed air ripped through the air and tore the seesaw in the Remless Pair's hands. Before the two could even think to act, Rodan was down on the ground, his sword piercing the heart of the older Gittanko. The Remless couldn't find breath to scream as she faded back into a shadow that soon disappeared from sight. The younger Bakkonko could only stare in shock before turning teary eyes up towards her sister's executioner.

Rodan's grip on the Primal Blade tightened, the winds blowing fiercely around him. "Don't you dare look at me with her eyes." He growled quietly to her before his sword flashed forward, beheading the young Remless whose body faded away into shadow. He turned slowly towards where the Amazon Duo had stood only to see their feet disappear into their teleportation rings before they vanished from sight. He moved towards Mina and stood over her unconscious form. He planted his blade next to her neck, ignoring the cries of shock from the Sailor Scouts behind him, and kneeled down in front of her. He made as if to wake her but stopped.

Without another word, his holo-wings burst open and he was up in the sky, flying towards the sun.

--

Minako Aino was a Sailor Scout, and she had kept it from him. He should have been angry at her for keeping such a thing from him but really what right did he have to think such a thing? He had his own secrets and he certainly was in no position to tell her his just as she didn't need to tell him her own. They weren't lovers like Eiji and Lita, and they certainly weren't friends like Ami and Morisato. So just what were they? Takuya honestly didn't know, but he spent the rest of that night thinking over just what Mina was to him and what he was, and could possibly be to her.

--

--

TIME BREAK

--

--

Eiji held the object tight in his hand, playing over his latest of dilemmas in his mind as he paced in his room. It was obvious from how the guys acted whenever he brought up the subject that they knew as well, and hadn't deemed to tell him or each other. He didn't care how they found out, only that he was furious with them for disobeying a direct order. Yet, at the same time, he wished they had tried harder to keep it from him, but they couldn't. Eiji had found out the truth.

Lita was Sailor Jupiter.

He sighed and looked down at the obect in his hand. Five days ago, he had gotten the idea. Four days ago, he found a means to deliver. Three days ago, Takuya's heart was broken and his overall attitude took a downward plunge. Two days ago, Takuya made a snide comment to him that didn't make immediate sense.

_FLASHBACK_

_"Yashima. We need to talk."_

_"Leave me alone, Commander. I'll take of this my way."_

_"Your way results in breaking hearts and bones both, Takuya. I won't let you come to blows with Mina. Don't let your anger lead you to do the wrong thing."_

_"Instead of worrying about me and my girl," He must have been angry, to let such a slip Eiji would later realize. "How about you worry about your own?"_

_"Is that a challenge?" Takuya was treading dangerous territory._

_"Zeus is just another name for the same thing. Lita is another name for the same person. Think outside of your fists, Commander."_

_END FLASHBACK_

It didn't hit until yesterday morning, when the local history channel was going over ancient Rome and discussing how the ancient empire had taken its roots from the land of Greece. From art to gods, nothing was wasted though much was altered to suit the Romans' needs. One such change was the names of certain deities. In the case of the Greek God of Thunder and King of the Gods, Zeus' name was changed to a more suitable, if slightly planetary name.

Jupiter.

So he spent all of yesterday alone with his thoughts as he walked throughout the city, ignoring the various emotions that flickered weakly against his mind. He didn't understand the Sailor Scouts nor where, or what, they took their power from. For all he knew, it could be more dangerous than what they, as Kamen Riders, drew upon. Then, there was of course, the talk about crystals that haunted the early days of the Sailor Scouts. Rainbow Crystals, Heart Crystals…

Was in the Incursion from the beginning?

No, there was no kaiju, no source for the Incursion to even occur, so that couldn't be it.

Gods, then there was the matter of how the Scouts fought. They never allowed themselves to use underhanded tactics and purposely announced themselves whenever they arrived instead of iniating a first strike, they got injured more than he was willing to witness at times, and were too sloppy in how they handled the Remless. Sooner or later, they'd meet someone smarter and deadlier than themselves, someone who wouldn't take the risk of letting them live to fight another day.

That thought above all others scared him the most.

He could forgive them slightly, they had not his life and so were unused to such ways of fighting but they'd have to grow up sooner or later; they allowed a child, a child of all things, to fight with them! True, Rini did seem to be the catalyst for the unicorn's power to be siphoned through Sailor Moon but still…

"Yo, Aniki!" Morisato knocked on the door. "We got to get going if we want to surprise the girls."

"I'll be right down," spoke Eiji listlessly. "… Morisato?"

"Yes?"

"If you were given a choice, to have our world back to what it could have been or staying here what would you choose?"

"… Why are you asking me this?" asked Morisato, suddenly worried for his taller friend. "You know there's nothing left."

"I know but humor me. What would you choose?"

"… I would stay here." Morisato looked down at the ground. "Even if we could have our world back, it would mean leaving this one behind, and my roots are here now. I have people I care about here."

"You could have such people on our home world too," argued Eiji.

"Yes, I suppose I could…" Morisato agreed hesitantly. "But wasn't it your Pop that said home was a feeling not a place? My home is here, Eiji."

"… Yes, I guess it is…" The Kusanagi smiled. "Let's go."

--

Lita held her dress up slightly, blushing like a bride, "I wonder if it's too gaudy…" But she was smiling. The dress was a deep purple with a violet stemmed rose sewn onto the skirt that fell down to her ankles. The bodice fit her form and gave a tiny hint of cleavage while leaving her shoulders bare. On her neck was a thick gold collar with a red jewel resting just below the base of her neck. The other girls, while also dressed for the occasion, weren't quite at Lita's level. Serena was wearing a strapless pink dress with her hair in its usual pigtail-and-bun combo. Rei was wearing a regular red dress that accentuated the violet of her eyes. Ami was wearing a simple green dress with a woolen yellow jacket over her arms while Mina, not quite as eager to be here as the others, was dressed in a purple European dress with a crimson bow tied around her waist. Rini wore the simplest outfit of them all; her school uniform.

Darien walked around one of the many stalls that decorated the college grounds and smiled upon seeing the group. "Oh, you're all here!" Elizabeth and Andrew followed behind him. The two boys were dressed rather plainly, though still rather nice, while Elizabeth herself was dressed like an 80's rocker.

"You guys really dressed for the occasion!" She leaned forward and smiled mischeviously. "You've got your eyes set on the dance party in the gymnasium, right?"

"Is it obvious?" Rei asked, looking a bit disgruntled at having been found out.

"The dance party at our college is rather famous along those lines." Darien explained.

"Yeah, yeah!" Andrew nodded. "Many new couples form as a result of being dance partners. There are some that even got married in the end!"

"M-Married?" Rini blushed.

"Didn't you find Rita there, Big Brother?" asked Elizabeth, her mischevious look back with a vengeance. Darien reciprocated the look as the girls stared at Andrew in surprise. They hadn't know that bit of information.

"Well, what are we going to do?" asked Rei. "Our dates aren't even here yet…"

"For those of you that have dates…" muttered Mina, her eyes downcast.

"Morisato said he'd be here…" Ami blushed at the sudden attention she was getting. "Oh my, I mean—"

"Let's just go and wait for them inside," said Lita, sparing the shorter girl another interrogation.

"Lita's right! We'll have our rendezvous of destiny! Or I'm kicking Shiro out of the temple!" Rei marched towards the gymnasium, head high and completely oblivious to the sweatdrops she left behind.

"Come on, Darien!" Serena and Rini grabbed Darien's hands and pulled him along as the rest of the group followed after them, Lita hanging back a bit to gaze upon one of the dance party posters. On the poster was a couple dressed like the were dancing at their wedding reception. For a moment, Lita could see herself and Eiji in place of the two dancers and she blushed, smiling at the idea. '_A rendezvous of destiny, huh?_'

She followed after the others and entered the gymnasium only to pause in confusion and look around. There were people yes but there was no music, no lights, nothing.

"What's going on?" asked Lita. "I thought the dance party was supposed to have started by now." Before any of the others could speak, the lights went out.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" spoke an indestrict voice through the speakers. "Allow me to present Japan's newest musician team, gracing us with their musical talents for this one day, put your hands together for… The Knight of the Round!"

With an explosion of safe-smoke, four shadowed forms rose up onto the stage. The audience broke into applause as gentle music began to be played by the group shrouded in the mist. When the smoke finally faded away, the girls, and guys, could see who the band was. Needless to say, they were quite shocked.

"Shiro?!" Rei gaped in shock. Shiro was dressed in a three-piece suit with his shirt colored an emerald green. He was standing in front of a large drumset with a feral smile on his face.

"Takuya!?" gasped Mina, her eyes wide and slightly wet. Takuya was dressed in a biker's outfit complete with a leather jacket where a red-winged dragon flew on the back. He held an electric guitar and looked a bit disgruntled at all the girls ogling him and the others.

"Morisato?!" Ami whispered in shock. Morisato was dressed in a brown hoodie with the sleeves torn off, revealing his muscular arms with a matching pair of cargo pants. He grinned as his fingers lightly tickled the keys of his electric keyboard

"Eiji?!" Lita's blush was back with company. Eiji was dressed just like the man on the poster was, right down to the glove. He had no instrument of his own, though he did have a wireless microphone attached to his collar, and was smiling gently out at the crowd. Lita suddenly realized that there was a spotlight shining down upon her but before she could begin to wonder just what was going on, Eiji began to sing.

"You're one in a million… Oh… Now… you're one in a million. Oh…" Morisato played the keys of his piano before Shiro joined him on the drums and Takuya with his guitar. "Sometimes love can hit you every day. Sometime you can fall for everyone you see, but only can really make me stay." He smiled and bowed his head towards the stunned Lita. "A sign from the sky, said to me…"

"You're one in a million, you're once in a lifetime. You made me discover one of the stars above us. You're one in a million, you're once in a lifetime. You made me discover one of the stars above us." All four boys sung.

Eiji walked forward to stand at the edge of the stage. "I've been looking for that special one, and I've been searching for someone to give my love. And when I thought that all the hope was gone. A smile, there you were and I was gone." He grinned and held a hand out towards Lita. "I always will remember how I felt that day. A feeling indescribable to me. Yeah… I always knew there was an answer for my prayer, and you, you're the one, the one for me…"

As the other three members of the Knights of the Round began to sing the chorus, Eiji leapt down from the stage and walked towards Lita, the crowd of dancers parting like the Red Sea. He stood before his girlfriend and offered her his hand. She took it shakily and her lead her to the center of the dance floor where the two of them began to dance to the music. He whispered to her, his voice carrying out through the microphone, "In the beginning I was cool and everything was possible, they tried to catch me but it was impossible. No one could hurt me it was my game, until I met you baby and you were the same, and when you didn't want me I wanted you because, the funny thing about it is I liked the show. I like it when it's difficult, I like it when it's hard. Then you know its worth it, that you found your heart…"

"Oh Eiji…" He smiled and leaned forward, his nose brushing gently against her's as the other sang the chorus on their own once more. His lips met her own gently, teasingly touching against them like a butterfly, before heat was being transferred between them both. When their lungs demanded air to breathe, the two broke apart and Eiji finished up the song.

"You're one in a million… Oh… You're one in a million…"

As the dancers gave the two of them an astounding applause, Eiji asked, "How was that for a first kiss, Darling?"

Lita couldn't find her voice and voice just how happy she was to have such a wonderful boyfriend. Instead, she wrapped her arms tight around his neck and kissed him again.

--

He didn't have a chance to ask her then, he had to perform throughout most of the party though he and the others were able to squeeze in a dance or two with their girls. Well, Shiro went willingly as did Rei and Morisato managed to track Ami down during his own vocal-performance of the song, 'All For Love'. Takuya remained performing at his guitar though he did at least acknowledge Mina's presence, which was better than what Eiji had hoped from the Yashima heir. All in all, it was a rather good day yesterday, despite the fool that tried to dance with his Lita. Eiji paused in his walk towards Tozai College.

His Lita?

"I like the sound of that," he smiled, eyes faintly misty. "I really do."

He started to continue on but stopped, his eyes wide and his nose flaring for a scent on the wind. His empathy was going into overdrive and he was suddenly intimately aware of a person's state-of-mind, and that person was in grave danger. His eyes were glowing bright red, his teeth suddenly sharp fangs while his nails lengthened into claws.

'_LITA!_' He raced around the gym, jumping over stalls and people alike until his arrived at the scene. His eyes, all aglow, took in the scene of the crime. Ami, Rei, and Mina were trapped underneath a fishermen's net while their captor, a smiling Fish-Eye urged his compatriot Tigers-Eye, who was smirking in victory, to finish the job. He saw all this but there was but one thing that had all of his attention. Lita, trapped and shackled to a board, her breathing ragged as all her hopes and dreams were laid bare in the form of a mirror that any in the world could look into.

He roared angrily, his voice nothing like a human's but more of a maddened beast, whose mate was hurt all because of his inattentiveness. It was a roar that shook those who heard it to their core as it was a sound that promised they who had done wrong that their deeds would come full circle.

"YOU!" Eiji roared, pointing at the surprised Fish-Eye. His senses sudden return to their prime alerted him to who was the initiator. "I'll kill you for doing this to her!" He took a menacing step forward, his eyes burning like miniature suns. "I won't let you rape my mate's dreams!"

"Like you could really stop us," scoffed Hawks-Eye, though he did sound a trite bit nervous. "You're just a mere human."

Eiji snarled tight in his throat, his right hand straying to the watch on his left wrist, whose face flickered out to reveal the glowing shape of a carnivorous dinosaur with a familiar set of dorsal spines. "Whatever humanity I had died when I accepted my father's gift to me. Execute! Kaiju-Spirit Evolution!"

"WAKE UP!" A robotic voice proclaimed as Eiji's form was enveloped in a cocoon of light with branches of lightning circling like sharks around its crystalline surface. While on the outside, one would see a human sized cocoon but that concept would be immediately thrown out the window should one actually witness what was occurring within.

It was a void devoid of life, form, or function where only two things stood. One was Eiji Kusanagi, his arms spread wide as he roared like a primordial beast, the towering creature behind him reciprocating the call as it burst into beams of light that appeared as pieces of black armor grafted themselves to his form. He fell down through the void and landed on a small pentagon that served as the only means of standing in the dark expanse. He raised his arm upwards and shot a beams of atomic light into the sky, tearing a hole large enough for him to burst out into the primary world. The cocoon of light burst and faded from sight as the Black Rider stood where once a seemingly normal boy had just moments ago.

"KAMEN RIDER GOJIRA!"

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_Mina:_ Was everything they told us a lie?

_Ami:_ Were they spying on us from the beginning?

_Rei:_ Becoming our friends so they could exploit our weaknesses?

_Lita:_ No, I refuse to believe that they'd be willing to hurt us.

_Takuya:_ The cat is finally out of the bag. Where shall our story begin?

_Morisato:_ Where every story starts. At the beginning?

_Shiro:_ Ah, but what beginning? Our's or the world we called home?

_Eiji:_ We'll tell them everything they need to know. Let us begin with our legacy… and those who started it all.

Legacy of the Kamen Riders; Monster in the Knight

* * *


	9. Legacy of the Kamen Riders

Muses & Me: Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Adrian! Happy birthday to you!

Kirby: Poyo! (Dances)

Adrian: (Laughs/claps)

Me: Sniff, my son is one! I could just cry.

Camille: Now dear, don't get as emotional as you did when he said his first word.

Me: How can I not? It's paramount to having his first muse! It's paramount to saying "Dragon" as his first word!

Bahamut: (Grins smugly at Mewtwo)

Mewtwo: (Notices) Oh shut up.

* * *

**DISCLAIMERS: Don't own what's not my own.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

Legacy of the Kamen Riders; Monster in the Knight

Gojira's visor flashed and he raised his head, growling deep in his throat before he made his way over to the trapped Lita. He paused for a moment, a hand coming up to her face and stroking her cheek gently. The stress had been too much, she had fainted. He reached up and pulled the shackle adorning her right arm off and caught her as she fell into his arms, the device fading out and her Dream Mirror safe within her soul. He picked her up like a groom would for his bride and carried her towards the others, setting her down gently beside the gymnasium wall before standing once more. He turned towards the stunned girls, staring at him with wide-eyed shock.

He walked over to them and kneeled down beside them, completely ignoring the Amazon Duo behind him, and cut the net easily with his clawed gloves. He stared down at them, a deadly but serious aura surrounding him as he said. "Keep her safe. I will not let this crim go unpunished."

He whirled and fired a blast of atomic fire from his cannon towards Tigers-Eye who backflipped out-of-sight. "COWARD!" Gojira roared, the eyes of his K-Zector glowing brightly. He turned towards the trembling Fish-Eye and aimed his cannon straight at his head. "Don't even think about it. You'll lose your head first, animal-freak!"

Fish-Eye's eyes were wide with terror, but there was… Gojira rolled to the side, dodging something that flew past where his head was. '_What the hell? A card?_' He turned and cursed. Standing there smiling yet crying like a damn fool was a Remless shaped like a playing card right out of Wonderland though it had no category class.

"Meet my card master of sorrow, Shuffleluo." Fish-Eye waved. "He'll take care of you for me! Ta-ta!" With a backflip, the Amazon disappeared out-of-sight.

"Damn it, get back here!" Gojira fired a shot of atomic energy at the vanishing hole, watching as it disappeared into the blackness before the ring of water disappeared from sight.

"Shuffle me!" Luo smiled, tears streaming down his face as he began to play with the deck of cards in his hand. "One pair, Two of Spades! Two of Clubs!" Gojira started to turn but the cards were too fast for him. However, instead of slicing through him like he initially expected, the cards impacted like cannonballs against him, sending him flying back towards the gymnasium wall.

--

Shiro was starting to get concerned. Rei said she was going for a quick break from the dancing with the other girls to the little girls' room but it had been some time since they had left. Beside him, Morisato was looking similarly concerned while Takuya appeared as uncaring as usual.

"Damn girls take freaking forever don't they?" He sneered. Morisato shook his head.

"No, somethings wrong here," he argued. "Shiro, can you see anything?"

"I'm afraid I…" Whatever he was about to say died in Shiro's throat as he caught sight of their girls carrying a near-comatose Lita into the gymnasium. He was there by Rei's side in an instant with Morisato behind and Takuya already kneeling down beside Eiji's girlfriend.

"Shit, an attack? On her?" Takuya checked her pulse. He looked towards Mina. "What happened?"

"She nearly had her dreams raped," answered Shiro, his eyes faintly aglow with orange light. "But they're untouched…" He looked towards where he could see Serena, Rini, and Darien were making their way over towards them. "Sailor Moon here so what interrupted them?"

The other girls stiffened. "How do you—?" Rei started to ask when there was a sudden loud explosion and Eiji came crashing through the gymnasium wall and skidded against the floor.

"Aniki!" Morisato stood to his feet. Takuya muttered a foul oath and stood to his feet as well. Shiro's eyes narrowed, their glow intensifying as he looked behind them towards where Gojira had been thrown when his eyes widened in horror.

"Duck and Shield!" He pushed Rei down and covered her form with his body as Takuya did the same for Mina and Lita. Morisato pushed Ami behind him and concentrated all of his might into making a shield before him. It was a miracle that he had managed to do so in time as three pairs of cards sliced through the air like knives. Two pairs flew through the dancers in the gymnasium, narrowly missing the innocent people before they ripped right through the support beams for the gymnasium stage, sending it toppling. People began to run screaming from the gymnasium but the girls and guys remained where they were, with the trio of the future Moon family joining them beside their unconscious friend.

Rei opened her eyes slowly and gasped in shock. One of the card pairs had imbedded themselves into Shiro's right arm. "Shiro, you're hurt!"

"What?" He looked down and grimaced slightly. "Oh, well, would you look at that…" He reached up and pulled the cards out without a flinch, only doing so upon seeing a trickle of black liquid flowing from the cuts. "Damn, these things must be sharp…"

"Shiro, what, what is that?" Rei's eyes were wide in shock. How could anyone's blood be black? But…by its smell it wasn't really blood.

"Oil." Shiro answered shortly. "Motor oil." He pulled the glove off his arm, revealing it to be completely robotic. He clenched his fist a few times before nodding, not looking at all towards Rei. "It'll survive this round. Morisato? Takuya? You two alright?"

"Yeah just," Takuya wrenched a card out of his shoulder. "Peachy."

Morisato held a card up to his eyes. "Diamond-edged. How the hell are they diamond-edged? These things are flat as cardboard!"

"Damn it…" Gojira slowly rose to his feet. "The bastard can change his cards as he wants them to. Spade, Heart, Club, and Diamond. The Four Suits are at his beck and call."

"Exactly!" crowed Luo, twirling onto the scene, smiling through his tears of sorrow. "Now for my next trick, four of a kind!" Luo spun in place before separating into two, three, four versions of himself!

The first had the symbol of Hearts on his chest and held a spiked scepter in his hands. "Ace of Hearts!"

The second had the symbol of Clubs and had two large bats in his hands. "Ace of Clubs!"

The third had the symbol of Spades on his chest and held up a large shield shaped like his namesake. "Ace of Spades!"

The fourth and final Luo had the symbol of Diamonds and held a large sword in his hand. "Ace of Diamonds!"

The Four Aces stood shoulder-to-shoulder, holding their weapons up in preparation to charge the lone Kamen Rider.

"Come on!" Morisato stood to his feet. "We got to help him!" He looked towards the girls. "You guys don't use weapons, so stay out of this!"

"What makes you think you can take him on huh?" asked Rei, a little bit mad at being snuffed like that, despite her needing to keep her identity as Sailor Mars a secret.

"Because we're Kamen Riders, Lady Rei." Shiro stood to his feet and nodded to Morisato and Takuya, who eagerly followed in the two shorter boy's example.

"Execute!" All three called, there hands going to the K-Zectors on their wrists. "Kaiju-Spirit Evolution!"

"WAKE UP!" A trio of robotic voices proclaimed in perfect unision as the three boys were enveloped in cocoons of light with branches of lightning circling like sharks around them. Like with Eiji's transformation, one would see a human sized cocoon but that concept would be immediately thrown out the window should one actually witness what was occurring within.

It was a form of darkness devoid of life, form, or function where only two things stood. One was Morisato Akichi, his arms spread wide as he roared like a primordial beast, the towering quadroped behind him reciprocating the call as it burst into beams of light that appeared as pieces of brown armor grafted themselves to his form. He fell down through the void and landed on a small pentagon that served as the only means of standing in the dark expanse. He raised his arm upwards, clutching his Ankylo Hammer tight, and slammed it down hard on the ground, the force shattering through the void and into the primary world.

Nothing living could stand this darkness for long so it was fortunate that the one living individual had only need be there for a moment's time. Takuya Yashima, his arms spread wide like wings as he screamed like a primordial falcon, the crimson flyer above him reciprocating the call as it burst into beams of light that appeared as pieces of red armor grafted themselves to his form. He fell down through the void and landed on a small pentagon that served as the only means of standing in the dark expanse. He reached through the void and grasped his Primal Blade tight and, with a samurai's battle cry, slashed it down in a diagonal arc that flew through the darkness and sliced its way into the light.

It was a version of hell, where nothing could truly exist because that's all that could exist here. For now, only two beings could stand in this dark abyss and even then, it was nothing short of miraculous that the one living could leave with his sanity intact. Shiro Saito spread his arms and bowed his head, a pained roar echoing in the darkness, the monolithic biped behind him reciprocating the call as it burst into beams of light that appeared as pieces of emerald armor grafted themselves to his form. He fell down through the void and landed on a small pentagon that served as the only means of standing in the dark expanse. He raised his arm upwards, the lens of his Terra Blaster shining before a burst of plasma fire shot upwards towards the unending sky, exploding against the darkness of the sky to reveal the pathway into the living world.

The cocoons of light burst and faded from sight as the Kamen Riders stood where once a seemingly normal boys had just moments ago.

"KAMEN RIDER!"

"ANGUIRUS!"

"RODAN!"

"GAMERA!"

--

The battle was long and it was more difficult than they had imagined. The Riders had managed to force the Remless back outside and kept it from doing more damage. However, Luo's true reason behind splitting himself made itself clear when Rodan managed to behead his foe, the Ace of Diamonds, only to have his opponent's head return without a scratch. Gamera had blasted an arm off his, the Ace of Hearts, sending its shield flying only for limb and weapon to return seamlessly to its owner. It didn't take them long for the Kamen Riders to realize that they needed a single, unified assault to destroy the Remless. Thus, one joint Cast-On Attack later, the Remless was a shadow on the ground, which soon faded from sight, the symbol on its head flashing.

Gojira panted for breath as the dark, cloudy sky rumbled above. It would storm soon. His eyes shot towards the sky before he fired a mild blast of atomic fire into a tree. A blazing red eye with black, feathered wings flew out from the tree, futilely trying to stop the fires on its right wing only for Gojira to grab it out of mid-air. Zircon would have gulped if he had the capacity of doing so.

"You work for the ring leader don't you." Gojira growled at the quivering eyeball in his hand, ignoring its feeble attempts of escape. "I want you to deliver a message for the Amazon Trio. No matter where you go, no matter what disguise you take, I will find you and when I do, I'll not allow you the chance to escape. I'll kill you with my bare hands and send whatever soul you have left back to Hell. So swears Kamen Rider Gojira." He threw the eyeball skyward and watched as it disappeared from sight. A crack of thunder and the rain that the darkened clouds struggled to contain finally fell. He turned to his comrades-in-arms. Rodan had his arms crossed and was looking skyward, Anguirus was looking down at the ground in shame, and Gamera… was looking past him.

Gojira turned slowly, knowing just what he was about to see but dreading it all the same. There they stood, all of they who lived a separate life just like the Kamen Riders, staring at them with a variety of emotions playing on their faces and across their hearts. Shock, concern, betrayal… fear… Gojira didn't need his empathy to know this; in fact, he tried his hardest to suppress it so that the only feelings he felt at all were his own. "U-n-A." He whispered.

"Commander—" Anguirus started to protest only to stop at Gojira's look. "… U-n-A…"

A flash of lightning and the shadowed forms of the Kamen Riders disappeared into the rain. Lita ran forward as if to follow them but stopped, her head bowing low as the rain continued to come down in torrents. Her emerald eyes fell upon a small box beside her feet, where Gojira… where Eiji had stood before. She picked it up and slowly opened it, almost dreading to see what was inside. When she saw what laid within the box, Lita's tears began to fall as she clutched the box and its passenger close to her chest and sobbed.

And the rain continued to fall.

--

Two days.

Since Eiji Kusanagi, Morisato Akichi, Takuya Yashima, & Shiro Saito revealed themselves to be the Kamen Riders Gojira, Anguirus, Rodan, and Gamera respectively.

Two days.

Since they disappeared from Juuban.

Two days.

Since the search for answers began with the search for them.

Two days.

And not a word or sign of them, their regular haunts devoid of their presence.

Today.

Would be the day the Sailor Scouts get those answers.

--

"Little Brother?" Orange eyes opened slowly, looking out from the darkness towards the doorway that led into the light where Shiro stood watching him.

"Yes, Shiro?"

"… What are we going to about Lady… the girls?" Eiji looked out the window where the sun could be seen slowly passing its zenith in the sky.

"… Shiro, do you love Rei?"

"What…?"

"Do you?"

"I…" Shiro looked pained. "I don't… I…"

"Is that why, if given the choice, you'd remain here instead of going back home?" That snapped whatever patience Shiro had left for the younger boy.

"There isn't a home to go back to, Eiji! You must accept that!"

"Don't you dare, Shiro. Don't you dare talk to me as though I'm nothing more than a stubborn child. I know our world is gone and I accept that. What I will not accept is that our friends, our family, got themselves killed needlessly. That I will never accept."

"… Little Brother, you can't change the past. You can either live with it or learn from it. Are you so willing to put the lives of your friends, your lover, in danger because of some hope that keeping them away will keep them safe? They are warriors like us, Eiji. Whether we like it or not, they will go out there and fight for the sake of good simply because that is who they are."

Eiji blinked and looked away from the older boy, a frown on his face. Was that what he was doing? Keeping the Sailor Scouts, no their friends, at arm's length because he didn't want them to die? Why then could he trust Morisato, Takuya, and Shiro. '_Simple, because I know they'll keep themselves alive._' He thought. '**Liar,**' another voice spoke in him. '**They are as suicidal as you and aren't afraid to throw themselves in the middle of the battle. Look at Shiro, the price he paid. Can you say you wouldn't have done the same if the situation was reversed?**'

'_I… I just don't want to lose another soldier._'

'**It's never been another soldier with you. You care too much about their well-being. If they die, a part of you dies with them.**' An image of Lita danced across his mind, her gentle smile and her eyes shining as she held out her hand to him. '**To repeat yourself, can you imagine living your life without her? Living in a world without Lita Kino?**'

'_No, I… She could get killed, be used against me…_'

'**Wake Up! Look at her, look at what she can do!**' Lita's smiling image was replaced by a courageous Sailor Jupiter, hurling lightning like an Olympian athlete and vanguishing her foes with relative ease. '**She can protect herself, she doesn't need you by her side for every bad situation! You're too damn scared of what could happen that you fail to realize what's happening now! Don't you feel her hurt, her despair? She's pining for you and here you are sitting in the dark wallowing in your own self-pity!**'

'_What, I can't…_' But he could, he could feel her as though she were sitting right there beside him like always. Her head resting on his shoulder and their hands intertwined, but no she wasn't there in physical form. He could sense her emotions and that could mean only one thing. '_She has it? She kept it? Why?_'

'**Because she loves you, you damned fool! Now what are you going to do? You know what she wants, the question now is: what do you want?**'

Eiji frowned, his eyes hardening and his fist clenching. '_I want to be by her side. Through everything, the good and the bad. You're right, I can't leave her, I love her too much, but that doesn't mean I'll let her die because I'm too scared of what-if's!_'

'**And that, is the first step.**' The voice whispered as it faded into the darkness. Eiji remained silent for a moment longer, silently contemplating what he could do before standing.

"… Let's go." Shiro twitched in surprise, wondering just what it was that had his friend so deep in thought until now.

"Go? Where?"

"Hikawa Temple, that is where they are heading now." Shiro quirked an eyebrow at that.

"You know this, how?"

"… She still has it…" Shiro's eyes widened the slightest bit but he smiled and nodded. "Tell Morisato to drag Takuya if he has to, there'll be no more secrets between us and them."

"So we'll tell them everything?"

"Everything that's significant. If they ask, we will answer but if they don't ask, we won't tell."

--

Lita stared down at the table, listening with only half-an-ear as the girls discussed their attempts at finding the boys. None of them had been successful and Lita had long since given up the moment Eiji left behind the small box that contained… Gods, she couldn't even think about it without bringing more tears to her eyes, but that didn't mean she'd let it be forgotten at her home. No, she carried it on her person whenever she left her apartment and kept it with reach when she was home. She couldn't bring herself to put it on, she didn't even know if Eiji would want a liar for a girlfriend, let alone…

"So have you been able to find anything, Ami?" asked Rei.

"I'm afraid not," whispered Ami, disappointed in herself. "I've tried everything I could think of, energy waves, DNA, even body-heat signatures. Wherever the Kamen Riders are, they're hiding."

"But why?" Mina cried, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "They didn't even let us explain!"

"Explain what?" asked Artemis. "That you kept your secrets just as they did? Or are you talking about Takuya?"

Mina flinched and looked down at the table in shame. "There's more to it… the way he acted…" She whispered to herself, ignoring the looks of concern from the others.

"So what are we going to do then?" Serena asked. "I mean, they are our friends…"

"But they've never been our allies, Serena," argued Rei. "Gojira… Eiji said as much…"

"I refuse to believe that!" exclaimed Lita, speaking for the first time in several hours. "Eiji wouldn't just dismiss us like that! It's because… because…"

"Because I was too scared of burying more friends, Lita." The girls turned to see the very four boys they'd been looking for. None of them looked as they normally did though they were dressed as they always were. Rather, they had a depressed yet serious air about them that seemed to drain the light from them.

"Eiji?" Lita whispered, shocked at his sudden appearance. The boy opened his mouth to speak but snapped it shut and decided that actions spoke louder than words. He walked briskly into the room and kneeled down beside Lita and embraced her in a firm hug that she was quick to reciprocate, tears falling from her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Lita…" He whispered into her ear, his one arm holding her close while his other hand stroke her back gently.

Shiro and Morisato exchanged knowing smiles before following after their commander. Shiro sat down beside Rei and smiled weakly, only to receive a stern look from the girl. She looked down at his bare right arm, the metal glinting from the light and her eyes softened. "You idiot…" she whispered, her hand reaching up and taking his right hand firmly, much to his surprise. "I'm not that delicate."

Morisato placed his backpack off his back before sitting cross-legged next to Ami. He tried to smile but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He sighed and shook his head before looking Ami straight in the eye, his scar over his right eye seeming fresh as though it had only just finished healing. "I'm sorry for lying to you, Water Sprite…" The bluenette sighed and shook her head, but she was smiling as she pat him on the shoulder.

As this was going on, Takuya was standing in the doorway, his arms crossed and his usual expression of disdain on his face. His blue eyes, normally as cold as chips of ice, were lacking their normal luster, like Takuya didn't even have the drive to remain angry. He looked over towards Mina and saw how torn she was. A part of her wanted to leave, to flee from the one that had broken her heart with his harsh words, but another, more mature part of her heart, demand she stay and tell him everything and explain herself as best as she could so that, at the very least, she'd be his friend. Takuya was no empathy like Eiji and he couldn't read people's aura like Shiro, but his training as a swordsman gave him a remarkably good ability at judging people's emotions.

She was hurting, hurting because of how he had lost his infamous temper. She didn't deserve a second chance, he knew this for a fact, because she hadn't had a chance in the first place. His bias against women as a whole influenced how he reacted with her and Takuya knew that he was a bastard for what he had done to her. He didn't realize this immediately, no it took Sensei's harsh retort to his anger to get Takuya to open his eyes and grow past his hurt. '_Your sister would be ashamed of you._' Takuya rememberd. '_We'll see, Old Man._' He moved quickly and roughly sat down beside the blonde. She squeaked in surprise and blushed when his hand fell atop her head.

"We'll talk later," he muttered under his breath.

Eiji looked up towards the girls, his arms still around Lita's shoulders. "I'm sure that there are a lot of questions to be asked between us. We will answer yours only if you allow us to ask our own. An equal exchange if you will." He looked down towards the trio of cats. "That all alright with you?"

The cats blinked in surprise, the elder two exchanging looks. "Yes, that does sound fair…" Luna spoke slowly but blinked in surprise at Eiji's smirk.

"Believe me, talking cats is not the oddest thing we've had to deal with." Eiji said by way of explanation. He looked down at Lita, already knowing she wasn't go to let go, and pulled her onto his lap to rest more comfortabely against him. She blushed but didn't protest, her thoughts flickering towards the box in her pocket before focusing on the topic at hand.

"Okay… Okay." Eiji sighed and looked down at the table for a moment before looking up at the girls. "To start with, we are not from this world. In fact, we're not even from this time period." Seeing the interruption about to occur from the pig-tailed duo. "Hold your questions until after you two. First off, we are from Earth but an Earth in a very alternate future."

"How far?" asked Rini, were they time-travellers like her?

Eiji sighed. He knew they'd interrupt but he couldn't fault them for it. "The year was 2059 when we… left. However, our future was very different from your's because our past is different." He trailed off, looking uncomfortable. Surprisingly, it was Rei who got what he was trying not to say.

"We didn't exist did we?"

All four guys winced at that. "A little harsh, Lady Rei." Shiro said. "You might have existed but not as Sailor Scouts."

"Yes," agreed Eiji. "There were no Sailor Scouts though our world was plagued with monsters, though not the kind any of you could deal with I'm afraid."

"What do you mean?" asked Rini.

"When I mention monsters, you think of the kind you fight right?" He asked. "The human ones."

"Well, I wouldn't really call some of those guys human…" muttered Serena, remembering the dreaded ballet-nutcracker Kurumiwario.

Eiji ignored her. "Ours were nothing close to being human and they were certainly not as small. A few were even identified as living natural disasters by the United Nations because of the vast loss of life that angering them could entail. That was just for the ones that conventional weaponry did nothing to and only drove them onto the attack rather than fleeing."

"We called these monsters, kaiju. A fitting name seeing as that's what they were after all. However, for the more aggressive ones, we classified them as daikaiju, though a few were not that large in size." Shiro said. "Mankind tried a variety of methods to destroy the kaiju, going as far as to create weapons of destruction that made the nuclear bomb look like a child's firecracker."

"Such as…" whispered Luna, worried that such weapons had somehow found their way here.

"The Dimension Tide and the Oxygen Destroyer, to name a few," said Eiji, who sighed. "Not only did they fail to eliminate the threat they were created for, the weapons ended allowing more kaiju to be born from man's mistakes."

"In the end, the best mankind could do was pen up the bastards," Takuya grinned savagely. "Like birds in a cage. They managed to capture the monsters on an island not far from Japan where they could be kept away from mankind."

"How'd they manage that?" asked Serena. "They sound pretty scary…"

"While it was near impossible to kill them, all the kaiju had at least one major weakness to exploit and exploit them we did." Morisato grinned. "Having mastered the creation of energy fields strong enough to repel them also helped too."

"However, with advanced minds now no longer needed to find a method to destroy the kaiju, many of our scientists began to wonder on something they hadn't had time to do," said Eiji. "And that was why all the monsters seemed drawn to Japan in the first place. Sure, there was the odd occurrence outside of Japan, such as America and Australia, but whatever monsters attacked there soon found their way to Japan."

"In the center of Honshu they found the source," said Shiro. "A stone slab several millennia old. No one could decipher it… save for the Cosmos."

"The who?" asked Mina.

"The Cosmos were a race that, apparently, came way before us." Takuya snorted. "The idiots tried to control nature and were wiped out. All but two."

"They translated the slab and the world found out the truth. The slab was drawing the kaiju to Japan, like a beacon. For some, it was barely heard like a whisper on the wind, while for others, it was a siren's song." Shiro nodded. "One that couldn't be denied for long."

"So man's top scientists worked with the Cosmos to devise a way to rid the world of the kaiju by using the slab. It was a scientist by the name of Kazushi Kagaku who came up with a plan officially entitled Operation: Final War. None of us know the details of what they did but whatever Kagaku and the Cosmos did, got rid of the kaiju but not in the way anyone expected. It turned the kaiju into stone statues, no bigger than an American football. The statues, named the Kaiju-Spirit Stones, were taken to a secure location where they'd never see the light of day for thirty whole years."

"Forgive me for interrupting, Eiji, but what does all this have to do with you?" asked Ami.

"Everything. Twenty years ago, on our world, a freak meteor shower appeared out of nowhere, peppering the earth with small and seemingly harmless, crystals." Eiji spat the word 'crystal' like a curse. "Those Crystals proved to be far more dangerous than expected. They grew like weeds and began to warp the environment out of control. In a single week, we lost several major cities. In a year, half the world's population had died. In ten years, that number dropped to the less than a million. On the day we came here, that number dropped to six."

"Oh gods…" Rei whispered.

"He's making it sound better than it was," snarled Takuya. "The Crystals weren't just ordinary stone; they were alive. They could think, they could plan, and they could influence the human mind and turn our bodies into living bombs if we were exposed to them for too long. If it wasn't the Crystals, it was the damned idiots trying to use their power which led to such destruction. Most of our world was largely uninhabitable by the time were born."

"Australia was an wasteland of ice, parts of America was buried in lava or turned to rubble from earthquakes, parts of Europe were literally floating in the sky… and half of Japan had become a nuclear wasteland or was buried under the sea." Shiro whispered.

"So what few brilliant minds left tried to devise a way to stop the Crystal Incursion," said Eiji. "One of those minds was my father and it was because of him that the Kamen Riders came to be. He and another scientist devised a way to utilize the power of the Kaiju-Spirit Stones to combat the Crystals."

"So… the power behind the Kamen Riders…?" Ami said slowly, her eyes never leaving the wristwatch on Morisato's arm.

"Is the power that man locked away in the first place." Morisato laughed tonelessly. "It would be ironic if it weren't so tragic."

"They made the armor yes, but they couldn't choose the Riders. As far as any of us can tell, it is the Spirits of the Kaiju that select the Rider, though whatever traits they look for seem to be hereditary." Shiro said, his eyes trailing towards Eiji.

"Using these K-Zectors," Eiji held up his arm so that his black watch could be seen with the image of the Gojira flashing across the surface in deep silver lines. "We're able to access the power of the Kaiju we hold. Though it's not without it's consequences…"

"Aside from our humanity," Takuya spoke bluntly. "We could lose our minds if we disengaged all the safety protocols Kusanagi-sama installed in them."

"Your humanity?" asked Serena. "You mean, you're not—"

"What Tak-kun means to say, Bunny, is that being a Kamen Rider is both a gift and a curse. Aside from accessing the power of the Kaiju, we gained a few new genes that Kusanagai-sama called M-base, which gives us some paranormal power." Morisato explained. "My own is to project force-fields and perfect equilibrium."

Shiro nodded. "My own is pyro-kinesis and the ability to see and manipulate mana, the energies of life." He smiled. "It's how I found out who you girls were. Your auras are very different from normal humans."

"Aero-kinesis," snorted Takuya, rolling his eyes at Shiro. "Could fly too, if I had to the time of day."

"The problem is, that whatever our enemy is doing here on earth," said Eiji. "It's dampening our abilities so much that we might as well have no M-base at all. It's only in the armor where our abilities return completely." He noticed the curious stares he was getting from the girls and the feelings of the one in his arms and sighed. "I'm empathic, though it doesn't matter much now. I can't really sense someone's emotions unless I touch them skin-to-skin with this field in place. And on that note." Eiji pressed his lips gently against Lita's cheek. "Don't worry. I'm not going to break up with you, though we still need to talk."

Lita literally sagged with relief against him. "Thank you…" she whispered.

"But what about those holograms you use?" asked Ami, pleased that everything would turn out okay for the two, but still trying to get back to the matter at hand. "How do they work?"

"They're hard-light holograms. Basically, holograms that can affect the real world. It's because of these holograms that we can graft the physical forms of our kaiju upon us without fear of losing our minds. It's why we call it the Cast-On System." Morisato explained. "We literally cast-on parts of the kaiju."

"I see…" murmured Ami, thinking back on seeing the effects of the Cast-On System, when she suddenly remembered something. "Eiji, when you said you left your world… it sounded like it wasn't something you planned."

Eiji's eyes seemed to darken. "No… No it wasn't…" He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Twelve."

"What?" asked Mina.

"Twelve were under my command two years ago. One year ago, that number dropped to nine." He spoke without any emotion, but his eyes were growing colder with every word. "Five months, five weeks, and two days ago that number dropped to five." He shot a somewhat relieved smile towards Shiro. "A little over three weeks ago, that number raised to six."

Rei gasped in shock and looked up at Shiro, whose eyes reflected the coldness in Eiji's own. "I don't know how or why. None of us are sure how we came we when we did. I just came through later I suppose…"

"I can't remember what happened exactly," whispered Eiji. "Just that we were running for our lives, another city lost to us, when the Crystals around us exploded right in the midst of teleportation. We woke up here. Those that could wake up…" He reached into his shirt and pulled out a necklace filled with dogtags. He lfted them one-by-one.

"Espiga Howlett-Parker, age 15, died in battle. Kiri Natchios, age 14, died trying to bring Espiga's body back to us." Ami noticed Morisato shrink upon himself, an expression despair and guilt on his face.

"Kushinada Urashima, age 19, died in a suicidal strike against the Crystals. Asagi Kusanagi, age 19, died saving the life of her fellow riders." Shiro matched Morisato's expression and Rei, seeing this and already having an idea as to which Rider Asagi died for, squeezed Shiro's robotic hand, earning a small smile from the older boy. "Issun and Ushiwaka Urashima, Kushinada's brothers, ages 15 and 12, died on transport to this world."

Eiji let the necklace drop back beneath his shirt. "I keep these to remember their sacrifice for a world that we couldn't save. I keep these to remind myself not to lose another soldier, to never again have to bury a friend." He looked up at the Sailor Scouts. "This is why I spoke so harshly to you all," he looked down at Rini. "Especially you. I've seen too many dead children, some that I've had to kill myself. I didn't want to see another of you do the same."

"So what made you change your mind, Eiji-sama?" whispered Luna, her heart going out to the boy. He had lived in a world ravaged beyond repair and though he had killed, he was no killer in the cat's eyes. No killer would have sorrow for his victims, or for those who died fighting at his side. However, there was more that he wasn't telling them. What of the other two Riders that came with them, what of the Riders that Eiji hadn't deemed mentioning, and just what kind of monsters these kaiju really were. She knew now wasn't the time or place to ask these questions, they'd have to wait until a more appropriate time.

"… You guys actually…" He smiled just the slightest bit and ruffled Lita's hair. "You all are as stubborn as Takuya and are as driven as myself. You wouldn't stay out of this fight even if you could. I was right before. You are not soldiers. You're warriors." He really did smile now. "Of love and justice right?"

The girls smiled and nodded their agreement.

"Which leaves us to question," said Shiro. "Just what your story is. How did the Sailor Scouts come to be?"

The girls exchanged looks before looking at the feline trio. Artemis coughed in embarrassment while Luna stepped forward. "It starts several thousand years ago, during an age called the Silver Millennium."

--

Shiro stared into the sacred fires of Hikawa Temple with a resigned air. Reincarnation, planetary kingdoms, and creatures from a whole separate plane of existence? That was a lot to take in and that was only the tip of the iceburg. Shiro knew that only the main facts were spoken between the two groups and the other secrets would only be answered when the right question was asked.

"How did you lose your arm?"

Like now for instance.

"Lady Rei?" Shiro turned to see her standing just behind him, her eyes drifting between the fire and his arm.

"Eiji said it was his fault but I don't believe him. What really happened, Shiro?"

Shiro remained silent for a moment. "… It was a joint-mission between the three of us. Eiji, myself… and Asagi. We were to secure some technological resources in the middle of Shibuya. What was left of it. The building we were in collapsed. A steel rod had punctured my arm and Eiji was partially buried. Asagi… a piece of rubble had landed hard enough upon her to break her spine." He mentally winced. '**Liar.**'

"The roof over our heads wasn't going to last much longer. Eiji and I could make it, if I could pull my arm out but she… Asagi couldn't. She wouldn't be able to move on her own ever again outside the armor and she'd be a sitting target to the Crystals so…" Shiro took a deep breath. "Asagi used every ounce of power in her armor and made a tunnel for us to get out.

"She died, and my arm was damaged beyond repair so I was got a replacement." Shiro's robotic arm clenched into a fist. '**Liar, how can you lie to her now? She should know the truth!**'

'_It doesn't matter. They're dead. I lost both of them._'

"I'm sorry… if, if you want we could—break-up. I'm sure it's—" Rei stammered into incoherency while Shiro stared at her in shock.

"Why would I do that?" He moved to stand before her. "Lady Rei, Asagi… she died two years ago. No amount of grief or love can change that. A part of my heart will always belong to her but now, part of it belongs to you as well." He paused and smiled uncertainly. "Although I don't think a common soldier should associate with a princess really."

"Oh, you!" Rei backhanded him in the shoulder. She hugged him, making sure that his robotic arm was across her back as well. "Don't even think of calling me Princess."

"As my Lady wishes." Shiro nodded, chuckling.

"So… we're okay then? Still together?"

"As long as you so wish, my lady of burning passion." Shiro whispered into her hair. '_She is like Asagi, but she's not. She's Rei Hino, and I wouldn't have it any different than that._'

--

"Why don't you ever accept my advances?" Morisato asked out of the blue, startling Ami. The two of them had been sitting side-by-side for some time now and had been thinking over the stories shared between their two parties when Morisato suddenly decided to ask the question that had been plaguing him for some time. "Is it because I'm too forward? Too, emotional?"

"What? I," Ami blushed slightly. "It's not that I—" Her eyes darted around the room, drawing back and forth to his eyes. Morisato suddenly slumped.

"I see…" His hand went to the scar over his left eye. "I didn't think you'd be one to care about physical appearances, Ami."

That was the first time he had ever said her name, and Ami felt… well she didn't know what she felt, but she knew that she didn't like it. "It's not that at all Morisato! It's just…"

"Just what? Come on, you can tell me."

"You're…" she blushed and mumbled almost too low to hear. "a flirt…"

Morisato blinked before shaking his head and speaking with his voice dead as a tomb. "You hit the nail right on the head didn't you? Should have realized it sooner, you're so smart…"

"Morisato…"

"Do you know how I got this scar?" He asked. "I got this scar because I allowed myself to succumb to the Crystal's power. I got this scar because I tried to kill my best friend. I keep this scar because I refuse to let that happen again." He looked at Ami, his eyes shining. "I've never lied to you Ami, even when I was keeping my identity as Anguirus a secret from you, and I won't lie by saying that I love you. You've never let me close enough to have a chance to see if we are connected beyond our thinking skills."

"I…" Ami flushed bright red and played with the corner of her textbook. "I'm just… I've never had anyone come onto me… like you have… I've had love letters but I… I didn't know how to deal with them and most lost interest…"

"But I haven't," said Morisato. "I still haven't, even now. I don't care if you're Princess of Mercury or a Sailor Scout. You're still Ami Mizuno to me."

"Why?" she whispered, tears in her eyes.

"Why what, Ami?"

"… What do you see when you look at me?" she asked.

"Inside or outside?" She looked up at him and tilted her head to see that he wasn't joking. He was asking what was, to him, a simple question.

"… External than internal."

"Outside, I see short hair colored such a stunning shade of blue that it can only be compared to the sea. I see eyes of sparkling sapphire that shine with the intelligence beyond her peers amidst a pale face from spending time studying and reading.

"Inside… I see a girl dedicated to her dream of becoming a doctor and her friends. I see someone who would put her own life on the line just to help anyone, even an enemy, because it's the right thing to do. I see a girl driven to become the best of the best."

"So why the interest?" she whispered. "Why doesn't that scare you?"

"Because I'm as much a grounder as Takuya. My head is constantly in the clouds with new ideas and I need a serious girl to keep me down on earth. Besides," he shrugged, "I don't like anyone else as I do you, Ami. I'm not asking to become your boyfriend. I'm asking for the chance to find out if I can."

"…" Ami looked back down at her textbook. "My mother has tickets for Cats but she can't make it… would… you like to go with me?"

Morisato blinked in surprise before smiling. "Yes, a thousand times yes."

--

"Stop looking at me out of your eyes like that, it's starting to tick me off." Takuya growled, glaring down the temple stairs, his hands in the pockets of his bomber jacket.

"Sorry…"

"And stop apologizing." Takuya cursed. "Shit, I liked you better before that mess with those two animal-freaks."

Mina flinched. "Listen, about that, I—"

"Save it. Kusanagi already told me." Takuya grumbled. '_More like beat it into my head. Not that I didn't deserve it. Damn, Mina, what happened to your spark? Do you really care about me that much?_'

He turned around to look at her. "What he didn't tell me was why. Why the hell would you go out with two guys at once?"

"I…" Mina blushed and looked down at her clasped hands. "I was hoping I'd make you jealous."

"Yeah, I gathered that thank you very much," Takuya sarcasmed. "Again, why?"

"Because… because I…" Mina stammered.

"Because what, spit it out already!" That snapped whatever control Mina was hoping to hold onto.

"Because I was tired of waiting for you to ask me out you, pig-headed jerk! Gods, I don't know what I see in you!" Mina started marching forward as a surprised, and slightly unnerved Takuya began to back away from her as she jutted her finger at his chest. "You're rude, sexist, egotistical, and way too sarcastic for any girl's taste!"

"So?" Takuya asked, eyebrow raised. "Why do you like me then?"

"Because you're cute you jerk!" She banged her fists on his chest. "You're honorable, you care about people's feelings even when you don't want to, and you're right! I am a slut!" Mina burst into tears and pressed herself against Takuya's chest, sobbing as the taller boy looked down at her stoically.

He sighed and wrapped his arms loosely around her small frame. "Look, I'm sorry alright? You're not a slut or anything close, okay? I admit that I lost my temper when I shouldn't have. You just……" 'Remind me too much of what I wish I had with her…'

"But I'm not her, Takuya…" Mina mumbled into his chest, still crying. "I'm not the girl that hurt you like that, and I promise to never hurt you."

'_Like you could,_' scoffed Takuya. "Look, blondie what do you want? A second chance?"

"I don't deserve a chance…" Mina muttered. "I was being so stupid… I just… I just wanted to be swept off my feet by someone like…" She blushed and tried to pull back when Takuya suddenly tightened his grip on her.

"You've never had a real boyfriend have you?" He asked.

Mina huffed and looked away, trying to hide the redness of her cheeks. "A lady doesn't kiss and tell."

Takuya sighed. "Okay, you know what? I'm going to be blunt about this. I like ya, kiddo I really do, but you hurt me. I don't take kindly to people playing with a person's heart and you lost a lot of respect from me that day." Mina seemed to shrink unto herself with every word. "Still…" He sighed. "Damn it, I haven't felt like this for a long time, damn it. I'm not used to it and I don't know the proper way to act about it. You're right, I am a jerk with a sexist complex bigger than NYC but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate who you are and what you do for the people of this city and, if your story is to be believed, the world.

"I ain't saying that I'll be your boyfriend, you got to earn my trust back before that can happen, but what I am saying is that I'm willing to be your friend."

"Really?" Mina blinked in surprise. "You'll give me a second chance?"

"I didn't give you a first chance," gruffed Takuya. "But I'm willing to do so now. So? Out with it, yes or no?"

"Yes! Please, please, yes!" Mina glomped him tightly, tears of relief now falling down her face. Takuya rolled his eyes in disgust but there, almost unperceivable, was a smile.

--

Eiji sat down and leaned back against the fortune tree and sighed. '_This is really taking the_ _cake,_' he thought to himself. '_An ancient magic empire, kingdoms on susposedly dead worlds, guardians of said world, and a variety of bad guys so out-of-this world they'd make most old-age sci-fi films look like children's nightmares._'

But he believed every word of it, including those not said.

Eiji knew that they hadn't told them everything. He honestly didn't expect them too. After all, he hadn't told them everything either. Their past was dark, far darker than what these warriors of the light could even begin to understand. They were innocent of war and the need to kill to survive and Eiji was going to keep that innocence there or die trying.

"Eiji? What are you thinking about?" Lita asked, her head resting against his shoulder as her hand gently clasped his own.

"A lot of things really." He sighed. "Father said this, 'It always seems darkest before dawn'. I guess I never saw the sun beginning to rise." Eiji smiled and hugged her close. "Until I met you that is."

"You charmer," whispered Lita. She looked down, slightly nervous. "Are you sure you're okay with this? Me being a Sailor Scout?"

"All that's changed is my respect and admiration for you, Lita." Eiji whispered. "I still love you."

"I love you too, Eiji…" Lita murmured, pressing a kiss to his cheek, blushing softly her nervousness still hanging upon her like a shawl. "… Eiji?"

"Yes?"

"… That day, when I was attacked… you left something behind…"

Eiji stiffened slightly. He had known that she had found and kept it, but he didn't know if she'd really accept it and what it promised. "I know…" He looked down into her eyes. "So…"

"So…"

Both were blushing quite vividly. '**Oh for the love of, just spit it out already!**'

"Lita, hand it to me for a moment?" Wordlessly, she complied, wondering just what he was planning, when he suddenly positioned himself so that he was on one knee. "I was going to this earlier but…" He swallowed, trying to remember Midoriko's helpful lessons on how to do this properly. "In the short time we've been together, so much has happened between us. I can hardly remember a time that I've been as happy as I am by being with you."

Lita's stomach started to twitter with dozens of butterflys as she looked at him, knowing what he was doing but wanting him to finish before she responded.

"I know we're too young," he continued, "but I also know that I want to spend my life with you. So," He took a deep breath and opened the box to show a small golden ring with a small emerald shining on its surface. "Will you take this ring, knowing that as soon as we're old enough, I'll add a proper engagement ring to it and, as soon as we can afterwards, a full wedding ring? Will you take this ring as my promise to you?"

She didn't respond with words. Instead, she launched herself forward, engulfing him in a full-force glomp that sent him flat on his back with her on top, kissing him fiercely on the lips.

* * *

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_Eiji:_ So if he's not on the girl's side and he's not with us… then whose side is this Pegasus on? Could he be working for another party entirely? What the-You! The fish-freak? What do you think you're doing? You think an energy field like this can hold… kami… What's… happening? I feel so… tired… Lita… please, don't cry…

Ascension! Transform to the Super Power!

* * *

Author's Notes:

I've left clues in the names of the Riders as to their alternative forms. If anyone can guess at least four of them correctly, I'll let loose a small spoiler in the next chapter. However, if anyone can successfully guess who the Voice is, I'll post a list of every active and non-active Kamen Rider Daikaiju. Please, post your guesses in your reviews and good luck!

Bahamut: Cause you're going to need it.

Me: Bahamut!


	10. Ascension! Transform to the Super Power!

Bahamut: No one has attempted to guess the Kamen Riders, Corvus.

Me: Oh well, works more for me anyway. It'd spoil the ending completely.

Mewtwo: Of the SuperS Arc?

Me: Uh, of course... The SuperS Arc... Yeah...

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

Ascension! Transform to the Super Power

"It was a dark and stormy night." How many stories have begun with such a phrase I ask you. Too many in fact, the phrase in itself is plain, simple, and rather ordinary set-up for any kind of beginning and maybe even a few endings. This phrase has been used time and again for all sorts of situations, not a single anything but bad.

This dark and stormy night would turn out no different.

The rain was coming down in dark torrents, making the city lights of Juuban seem almost like fireflies dying on the wind. There was no thunder or lightning, not even a harsh wind. Just seemingly endless washing away the light and bathing the city in darkness. Those still wandering in the midnight hours chose the better part of valor and chose to drive in their seemingly safe vehicles to remain dry from the storm. Many drove without fear, a few only feeling slightly nervous at the strength of the storm, but on their island nation, they were used to such things and so pressed on, knowing almost subconsciously that they would be safe from harm.

One such individual would not be so lucky.

He was driving a late-night delivery in his vehicle, a large truck if you must know, and had no need for speed his urgency so low. He was as relaxed as any person could be driving the raining night, an easy-going smile on his face. He wasn't listening to any music, chosing to listen to the soft sounds of the rain instead. He was one who appreciated nature despite his gruff appearance.

A whinny of a horse startled him out of his reverie and there, in the shadows, came a winged specter, a horn of gold glinting despite the lack of actual light. He cursed and turned his wheel tight, he had never struck anything, car or animal, and he'd be damned if he did so now. The water-soaked road seemed to swerve under his truck's tires, causing them to turn sharply in the opposite direction, sending his vehicle plowing headfirst into the wall. There was a loud crunch as metal compacted tightly together and a muffled woosh as the precious cargo of sake burst into flames on its accord. The man had only enough time to look up into the eyes of the ghostly Pegasus before his car exploded in an inferno of fire.

--

"So what do you think, Little Brother?" asked Shiro, holding up the newspaper which featured a story of a pegasus attacking people in the dead of night. There was only one fatality thus far by those that did survive wouldn't be living the hospital anytime soon.

Eiji glared at the paper for a moment before focusing once more on the horizon. He and the other boys were at their own secluded spot in the park, where a large cliff looked over the greenery and one could see the towers of glass and steel just beyond the sea of green.

"I don't know, there's been photographs…" He sighed. "But still, it seems odd."

"Well I don't believe it." Morisato stated. "This guy knows who we are as well as the girls. If he was really a bad guy out to hurt human life, why help them and us? Why not kill us in our sleep?"

"Don't be stupid, Akichi." Takuya snorted. "We know nothing of this unicorn."

"Pegasus," argued Shiro. "The girls say his name is Pegasus, and didn't you see for yourself that he helps them destroy the Remless, Takuya?" The ponytailed boy snorted eloquently and turned away.

"Doesn't change things. Just means he's got a soft spot for pinky and her mom." Takuya mentally shook his head. That concept was going to take some getting used to.

Eiji shook his head. "That still doesn't make any sense either. Future queen or not, what does he gain from helping them? He could be an enemy."

"Do you really believe that, Little Brother?" Shiro asked quietly. He had seen Pegasus' light and knew more instinctively than mentally that the winged horse was pure good given physical form.

"…Hrmph." Eiji remained silent, looking down across the park. The truth was, Eiji didn't know what to think when it came to the winged-unicorn, horse, whatever he was. The horse was an enigma and Eiji didn't care for those in the least. Enigmas meant unknown and unknown often meant death in his old life. '_Still…_' he sighed. '_That horse must mean something to the animal freaks and if what Takuya said was true…_'

"Let's go and check out the scenes of the crime." said Eiji. "This thing, whatever he is, is still a living being and has to leave some sort of trail to follow."

'_This Pegasus might hold all the answers._'

--

Zirconia wasn't happy, and when she wasn't happy, you most certainly wouldn't be either. The Amazon Trio was proving to be as useless as she first assumed they'd be. Not only had they failed time and again in finding and capturing Pegasus, they were losing more of their forces against the Sailor Scouts and those infuriating Kamen Riders! It was bad enough, in Zirconia's opinion that Pegasus had obviously allied himself with the Sailor Scouts and had already helped to destroy several Remless but the Kamen Riders…

They were a far bigger threat.

They were cruel, they were merciless, and, dare she believe it, downright evil when it came to destroying the Remless. Were they not so adamantly against them, Zirconia would have considered taking the Kamen Riders under her wing. They were a group that obviously believed that failure wasn't an option, a trait that the Amazon Trio was distinctly lacking.

"Zircon, come here." The flaming, winged eyeball flapped over towards his mistress and landed on his perch atop her staff. "Show me once more." Zircon's blazing red eye flashed and an image of Gojira appeared, visor aflame with light.

_**"I want you to deliver a message for the Amazon Trio. No matter where you go, no matter what disguise you take, I will find you and when I do, I'll not allow you the chance to escape. I'll kill you with my bare hands and send whatever soul you have left back to Hell. So swears Kamen Rider Gojira."**_

Zirconia smiled wickedly, a disgusting sight to behold. She could feel it, that animalistic rage behind the words, something that the Amazon Trio should have possessed but lacked. It was rather ironic that their enemy would be more like a caged animal than they were. "Yes, he would make a great member of our little circus, wouldn't you say, Zircon?" The eyeball shivered in fear. His mistress wasn't there when the Rider had him in his clawed grip and she hadn't seen how merciless he was. She had an inkling but she had no real idea of the power that Gojira had.

No one did.

--

Fish-Eye sighed somewhat mournfully. While this young boy was quite the catch, he didn't have Pegasus in his dreams, which meant another target to destroy, not that he cared really. Star soccer player or not, he had spurned him and Fish-Eye wasn't one to take such a thing lightly.

"Hold it right there!" Fish-Eye turned, surprised by the familiar voice but inwardly was quite pleased. Sailor Moon stood beside her young protégé atop the monkey bars, her arms folding across her chest as she glared down at the blue-haired villain. "As an older woman I can't allow you to assault innocent, little pretty boys! For love and justice!"

"Pretty soldiers in sailor suits!" piped the younger Sailor Mini Moon.

"Sailor Moon!"

"Sailor Mini-Moon!"

"In the name of the moon we shall punish you!" the duo proclaimed together.

Fish-Eye smirked. "There you are, pumpkins." He blinked in surprise as the duo jumped high into the air.

"Super attack!" The Moon duo dove down, feet first towards Fish-Eye. "Double Sailor Kick!" Fish-Eye moved to the side and watched as the pair slammed hard into the ground.

"What part of that is a super attack…?" he scoffed. Fish-Eye's eyes widened and he backflipped out of the way as a pair of fireballs, one made of plasma the other pure radioactivity, shot past where he stood just a moment ago. He turned and mentally cursed. He had expected the Kamen Riders to show up but not all at once!

Gojira cocked his cannon for another shot. "I missed hitting you the last time we met, I won't miss again. You won't be raping another person's dreams ever again, you dreamless fish-freak." Beside him, Anguirus and Rodan brandished their weapons while Gamera kept his half-bowed position, his Terra Blaster aimed straight at Fish-Eye who glowered at the Black Rider, a hand straying towards his side where Gojira's blast had grazed him.

"Believe me, you didn't miss. Come here, my Remless!" His shadow stretched out, the Dead Moon symbol flashing at the head. "The merry-go-round, Mawashitarou!" The horned head of Pegasus appeared out of the shadow, earning shocked gasps from the two Sailor Scouts. The horse stretched upwards until he was reared back on his hind legs. Gojira's eyes narrowed and he moved his G-Force Cannon towards the new Remless. This wasn't Pegasus, whatever it was. Pegasus was white and had eyes that were windows to his soul, this thing had no such traits.

The mock-Pegasus laughed and flexed his forearms as his human head popped out through a slit on the base of the equine neck of his costume, a speed appearing on his lower half as his upper body became more humanly defined. Anguirus nearly dropped his hammer in shocked revulsion.

"Oh, that is so not right…"

Sailor Mini-Moon glared at the Remless. "So it was a fake…"

Sailor Moon leaned towards her, and whispered, "Now, Mini-Moon…" She didn't want to see this eye-sore more than she had to. Mini-Moon nodded and placed her hands together in prayer.

"Please, Pegasus! Protect everyone's dreams!" Gojira watched intently. He was the only one who hadn't witnessed the Moon duo's combo attack. Sailor Mini-Moon held up her Crystal Carrilon, a bell with a heart-shaped symbol made of crystal glass, and waved it through the air, the melody ringing lightly. "Twinkle Yell!" The crystal-heart flashed brightly with dream energy before Pegasus appeared in a flash of light.

Gojira stared up at the horse in surprise before focusing towards Mini-Moon. '_She truly has the power to summon him? Why?_'

Fish-Eye smiled quite evilly. "I won't let you have it so easily… Mowashitarou!"

The merry-go-round Remless nodded and flexed his muscles tightly as five stone horses burst up from the ground. Mowashitarou lifted his arms up and began to spin in place. "Twirl, twirl, twirl, twirl!" He began to speed up with the stone horses following in his example. The faster they spun the more dark energy began to sprout upwards to form a dome over the group trapped between them. Pegasus' eyes widened before he dove downwards towards the darkening sphere but was too late. He was repelled backwards with a spark of energy.

"Pegasus!" gasped the Moon Duo in shock. They had always believed that Pegasus couldn't be harmed but now they were proven wrong.

Fish-Eye laughed. "Too bad… he can't come into this sealed world! Without Pegasus' power, there's no way to win because you can't use your attacks." He looked towards the Kamen Riders and laughed once more. "And it seems your weedy friends can't help you either!"

Sailor Moon and Mini-Moon looked towards the Kamen Riders and gasped in horror. Both Anguirus and Rodan were face down on the ground, struggling to push themselves back up while Gamera was on his knees. Only Gojira remained on his feet and it didn't look like he'd stay that way for long. It was obvious to the Sailor Scouts that all four of the Riders were in great pain. Whatever the Remless was doing to keep Pegasus from reaching them, was also hurting their friends.

Fish-Eye laughed and brandished several throwing knives in his hand. '_Which to chose, pumpkins or weeds?_'

Outside the dome, the remaining Sailor Scouts had arrived onto the scene, having followed Rini and Serena to see how Rini's young romance drama would play out but had transformed upon sensing the dark energy the black dome was emitting. Sailor Jupiter glanced upwards, her eyes catching a patch of glowing white light and blinked in shock.

"That's… Pegasus…!"

"So it's our enemy after all…!?" gasped Sailor Venus. From where they were standing, it looked as though it was Pegasus that was creating the dark dome, Mowashitarou and his merry-go-round horses moving too fast for any of them to see.

"But now isn't the time for that!" said Sailor Mercury, catching a faint glimpse of Sailor Moon and Mini-Moon inside the dome as well as… she couldn't see, the dome was too dark.

Electricity sparked around the lightning rod that came from her tiara before moving into her hands. "_Sparkling Wide Pressure!_" Jupiter hurled the electricity like a discuss towards the dome as her fellow Scout followed suite.

Fire began to flow from Sailor Mars fingers as she drew a large circle in the air. The flames burned bright as they formed eight orbs of fire, each with a different kanji written upon them. "_Burning Mandala!_" The great balls of fire converged tightly into Sailor Mars outstretched hands before shooting forwards as burning rings of celestial flame.

Both attacks collided into the dark dome and, with sparks of energy, where wisked out lke a dying flame upon a candle wick. Sailor Jupiter cursed under her breath. "It didn't work!"

Inside, Fish-Eye had finally reached a decision. While the Kamen Riders posed a threat, it wasn't they who had the power of Pegasus at their literal beck and call. "If I can defeat Sailor Moon, everyone's as good as nothing… I can take care of them in any way that I wish!" He raised his knives up and prepared to throw. "Now, this means victory is mine!"

Gojira cursed and tried to move to defend the two but fell flat on his face. Fish-Eye had absolutely no ability when it came to throwing his knives! He missed the two Scouts by several feet, if not more so! '_Damn it, I knew the fish-freak was weak… but this is just degrading…!_' Gojira cursed a foul oath and struggled to his feet once more, pain overtaking his body. '_Shit, what is this…?_' He collapsed onto his knees. '_I've never felt… such agony…!_'

But he wouldn't scream.

He would die before he would scream.

Back outside…

"Now our's chance!" Sailor Venus led the charge towards the dome as Fish-Eye distracted himself with his meager attempt of winning against Sailor Moon.

"We have to rescue them!" Sailor Mercury truly meant it, not be able to actually see how poorly Fish-Eye was fairing. The group was held back and, with an explosion of energy, were hurled backwards away from the dome.

"It's no good…" Sailor Jupiter muttered, glaring at the dome, silently wondering where Gojira and the other Kamen Riders were. Surely they would have shown up by now… "Damn… what should we do…?"

_"All of you… Become Super Sailor Soldiers…"_ The Scouts looked up as Pegasus gently floated downwards to stand between them and the dark dome. _"I will give you power…"_ He looked at them with eyes of red, asking them to trust him. _"Please, synch up your hearts to my pulse…"_

"What did you say?" asked Sailor Jupiter, surprised that the winged horse could speak to them through telepathy.

_"Believe in me… Accept my power…"_ Pegasus pleaded with them.

"Wait a minute. We have no guarantee that you're on our side!" protested Sailor Mars.

"She right!" agreed Sailor Venus.

"This may be a trap that you set up for us," said Sailor Mercury. Pegasus regarded them for but a moment before turning and charging towards the dome, golden horn first. He was repelled just as easily as before.

"Pegasus!" Mini-Moon raced towards the horse but was pushed back by the energy dome. Pegasus tried once more but was repelled with greater force this time. His knees shook as he strained to remain his feet. He was not meant to stay in the real world and the more time he spent in it, the weaker he became.

Fish-Eye brandished a saber in his hands and smiled. "This is the sure way after all!" He grinned and took a step forward. Pegasus gasped and charged once more at the dome and was again repelled.

Gojira cursed and pushed himself to his feet. Warning systems were flashing all across his visor, telling him nothing but bad news if he continued to struggle against whatever force was pushing down upon him and his fellow Riders. There was a snap and Gojira collapsed against the ground, as his armor fell away into the wind. His eyes were struggling to remain alight with their crimson glow but they faded away to reveal glazed eyes as his lungs stopped taking in precious oxygen.

Behind him, the other Riders were no better condition and were completely deprived of their armor. Fish-Eye immediately took notice and grinned even wider. Forget Sailor Moon, this was an open opportunity to get revenge against the Kamen Riders!

Pegasus knew this but there was nothing that he could do, his power wasn't enough. He looked once more towards the Sailor Scouts. _"Please… trust me… Their lives are in danger…"_ Getting no immediate response from the Scouts, he charged against the dome and was pushed back even farther, collapsing onto his knees.

"Pegasus!" cried Mini-Moon as she watched her secret friend struggle to help her and her friends from the dome prison. She pressed her hands lightly against the dome, lest she be repelled, and whispered. "Pegasus…!"

_"I'm sorry…"_ Pegasus struggled to his hooves and looked upon her with eyes filled with despair. _"I can't save you with just my power…"_

"Pegasus…" The winged unicorn raised himself up for another charge but collapsed to his knees from the strain. By now, Mini-Moon had, had enough.

"Please…!" She screamed through the dome. "Everyone, trust my Pegasus…!" The Scouts outside exchanged looks.

"All right…!" Sailor Venus stepped forward.

"Lend us your power." Sailor Mercury clasped her hands together. Pegasus looked back at them and spread his feathered wings as he flew upwards, his horn shining with a golden light. A halo of light spread upwards along the girls' bodies as they Sailor Suits altered to match those of a Super Sailor Soldier.

The four looked to each other and nodded before charging forward.

"_Venus Love-Chain Encircle!_"

"_Sparkling Wide Pressure!_"

"_Burning Mandala!_"

"_Shine Aqua Illusion!_"

The attacks were the same in name and in concept but in not in form. No to compare them to what they once were would be like comparing a butterfly to a caterpillar, they were connected but they were no longer the same thing. Their power enhanced to the Super level, the attacks were bigger, stronger, and flashier than ever before and had more than enough power behind them to destroy each and every one of Mowashitarou's stone horses. The dark dome flashed a myriad of colors before it exploded upon itself, leaving no barrier between them.

"Impossible… this can't be!" Fish-Eye's sword had vanished and he looked ready to bolt.

"Now Sailor Moon!" exclaimed Sailor Mini-Moon. Pegasus' horn flashed once more and Sailor Moon's Kaleido-MoonScope appeared in her hands.

"_Moon Gorgeous… Meditation!_" A crystallized ball of light shot out from Sailor Moon's weapon and flew through the air like shards of an actual kaleidoscope. Upon striking the Remless, the shards imploded upon themselves, again like a kaleidoscope, and destroyed everything of the Remless save for its shadow which soon disappeared after the symbol upon its head disappeared.

"STAGE OUT!" cried Mowashitarou as he faded out of existence.

Pegasus landed lightly beside Mini-Moon as the group stared Fish-Eye down in a fierce stand-off.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this…!" He jumped up into his ring-of-water and disappeared with a final cry of, "You'll pay!"

Relaxing, Mini-Moon turned towards Pegasus and smiled. "Pegasus."

The Scouts turned to look at the stallion as he looked at them and though he did not seem to be doing so, he was smiling. _"Thank you… for trusting me…"_ He faded like sparkles on the wind. The Scouts watched as he vanished from sight before Sailor Moon suddenly remembered.

"Oh no, the boys!" The other four Scouts turned to her in surprise before looking towards where the four defeated Kamen Riders lay. Names were exclaimed loudly as transformations were cancelled out, each girl moving towards their guy and kneeling beside them. Ami felt Morisato's wrist and checked for his pulse, it was there but it was extremely weak. She then noticed that none of them, Morisato included, were actually breathing.

"They're not breathing!" she exclaimed, "Quick, give them some CPR!" The other girls were quick to comply, silently thankful for listening to Ami's prodding about learning the basic emergency medical techniques.

After several nerve-wracking minutes, Morisato coughed loudly before groaning as he slowly sat up. "What the heck was that…?" he coughed again before suddenly noticing Ami sitting beside him, her eyes sparkling with relief. "Ami? What's wrong?" She choked and suddenly threw everything to the wind as she wrapped her arms tight around Morisato's neck. He blinked in surpise but didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her waist. "Ami?" She shook her head and pressed herself against him even tighter. If she hadn't… if they'd…

Takuya coughed and uttered several unmentionable words before he sat up. "Shit, what the hell did I miss?" He blinked and licked his lips. "And why do I taste like strawberry?" A loud sniffle came from beside him and Takuya turned to see a crying Mina sitting beside him. "What the hell? What's wrong with you now, blondie?" She didn't respond, lunging at him and wrapping her arms tight around his waist and pressing her face against his chest. "What the—" Takuya growled and made as though to shove her off but sighed in defeat and patted her head, not understanding what her damage was but knowing she needed some reassurance. Had they not hesitated… if they'd gotten there sooner…

Shiro gasped and sat up with a start. He shook his head before wincing and placing a hand against his forehead, wincing in pain. "Oh kami-sama… that was an experience I'd rather not go through again…" His eyes flashed orange and he looked at Rei. "Lady Rei? Is something the matter?" He gasped in shock just before her lips touched his own once more as she pulled him to her. He blinked several times, his face gaining a rather interesting shade of pink, before reciprocating the kiss. '_I've nearly forgotten,_' he thought. '_How good it feels… loving like this…_'

Eiji's eyes flashed crimson before returning to normal as he groaned and cursed under his breath. "Damn it… that… what was that…?" Emotions were fluctuating around him, tingling at the edge of his mind while a sea of relief and concern stormed beside him in the form of his girlfriend. He sat up and looked at her in concern. "Lita? Lita, what's wrong? Did that Remless hurt you or the others?" Wrong thing to ask. Lita sniffled loudly and grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pressed her lips fiercely against his own. Before Eiji even had time to process and return the kiss, she was suddenly hugging him, muttering, "Sorry, I'm so sorry," over and over. He looked down at her, concerned, before looking towards Serena and Rini.

"What happened?"

--

"Wait a tick," said Morisato. "Our armor had disengaged? On its own?" The group had relocated to the fruit parlor that they had often frequented since they had met and had somehow become their impromptu base of operations at times. "It's never done that."

"Never?" asked Ami. "Not once?"

"… I well, I mean to say…" Morisato suddenly looked nervous.

"What Morisato is trying to cover up is that the only way our armor would have come off is in three ways. One is obviously by our own choice. Second, we took too much damage for the armor to remain in one piece and so disengaged itself to heal." Shiro answered. "Third…" He looked uncomfortable. "Well, it didn't actually happen so there's no need for that…"

"Shiro," sad Rei warningly.

"Dead." Eiji suddenly said. "We'd have to be dead for the armor to disengage." He winced at the looks and emotions he was feeling at the base of his mind, and suddenly snapped. "Oh stop it all of you! We're fine, we didn't die and our armor wasn't damaged! Whatever that dome was made of, it was doing exactly what the dampening field is doing now except ten-fold. It was like… like someone was trying to disconnect our souls from our bodies. That must be what caused our armor to disengage. There's no other explanation for it."

Ah but there was.

There was one other way the armor would have vanished back into their K-Zectors but none of them had done it, not after watching their friends die by using—Eiji shook his head. It'd be best for everyone if that memory was buried away, never to be remembered. It was one thing to have it occur with his friends and allies, but if Eiji himself had undergone the same… There would be nothing left of the Eiji he was.

"I'm still sorry… if we had trusted Pegasus from the start…" Lita murmured guiltily.

He smiled gently at Lita and placed his hand atop her's and whispered, "I'm fine, we're fine, and you're fine. Everything will be fine."

Though Eiji considered himself a psyhic, he was by no means a seer who could view the paths of the future. He was right to say that they were all fine now but they certainly would not be in the days to come. For in the late darkness of that very night, where even the eyes of the Dead Moon were closed and unseeing, a faint flicker of temporal light could be seen in the park where one time-traveler and six dimensional travelers had already come through. It shifted and pulsed before suddenly expelling a small form out onto the ground. The figure struggled for breath before shakily rising to its feet. It looked about warily, as though already aware of the human-life that surrounded it, before sniffing the air and, seemingly catching a scent it did not like, ran towards the river and dove into its pristine waters. Its dark shadow disappeared into the water and vanished from sight.

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

Zirconia: You have failed me for the last time Amazon Trio! Find me Pegasus or you'll join the rest of the garbage. What…? Why do you not possess dream mirrors of your own? Hehe… Hahahahahahaha! You don't even realize it do you? Even when your enemies, the Kamen Riders, mocked you for it, you've never considered the idea? Hahahaha! You are truly useless, Amazon Trio! Perhaps I should find some better replacements for you after all…

The Animals Three; The End of the Amazon Trio!

* * *

Me: Should I? Shouldn't I? Should I? Shouldn't I? Should I? Shouldn't I? Should I? Shouldn't I? Should I? Shouldn't I? Should I? Shouldn't I? Should I? Shouldn't I? Should I? Shouldn't I? Should I? Shouldn't I?

Bahamut: What, the hell, are you doing?

Me: I'm trying to decide whether or not I should reveal our newest 'guest'.

Mewtwo: WHAT? You can't! It'd spoil everything!

Me: I know but I'm so tempted! That's it! I'll tell them! In code! "Yu iryqg kdv urphwklqj!"

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	11. The End of the Amazon Trio!

Me: Gentlemen, today is finally the day that I-

Bahamut: Get a haircut?

Mewtwo: A PS4?

Poupoko: (Win the lottery?)

Me: No, reply to reviews! ... Wait, you think I need a haircut?

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REVIEW REPLIES:

Ten-Faced Paladin: Patience my friend. There will be more Kamen Riders on the horizon, believe me. Some will be of no surprise while a few... Heheheh, I shock myself even.

ZK Chromedragozoid: You've got Kiri and Asagi correct, good buddy, and you were close with Kushinada. So close in fact, I'll toss a bone as it were. Kushinada was Kamen Rider Manda and her two brothers are also connected to her Kaiju Spirit as well.

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**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

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**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

The Animals Three; The End of the Amazon Trio!

"I'm being punished, ain't I?" Takuya deadpanned.

"Oh, stop your complaining, Tak-kun. It could be worse." Morisato said, his usual cheer in place.

"Worse? We're staring at fish." Takuya snorted. "What could be worse than that?"

"We could be at a pet store that sells baby animals."

"… Point taken." Takuya watched as Serena dragged Darien back and forth across the fish-store to look at the vast varieties of fish that were available. He and Morisato had the (unfortunate) luck of having today off from their respected jobs and were accompanying the girls, and guy, to the fish-store to select some more fish for Darien's aquarium. Well, accompanied would be better with Morisato. Dragged fit Takuya much better.

"So pretty…" Rini stared into the tank containing more tropical fish that what most stores of such nature carried. Morisato glanced down and smiled.

"Well I'll be, this store really does have everything. You know more about water than I, Ami. What kind of fish are these?"

Ami leaned down beside Rini to get a better look and smiled, though, for some reason, the light in her eyes dimmed a bit when Morisato addressed her, "Tropical fish like these are born in the Amazon River in South America."

"They look like jewelery." Rini murmured as she stared at the finger-sized fish.

"They really are pretty," Rei agreed with the younger girl.

"Yeah, maybe I should try to raise some…" Morisato bit back the first response that came to mind. Sometimes, it was too easy.

"They really do look tasty…" murmured a quiet young voice from Lita's purse. Morisato glanced down to see that Lita had snuck in Diana, who was staring longingly at the fish. Beside him, Takuya barked out a laugh at the looks the girls were giving the young kitten.

Seeing Darien and Serena returning, Mina decided to break the tension. "Darien, you've been raising some of them for a while now?"

"Yeah. I'm thinking of trying to raise another type of fish that's harder to take care of…" Serena giggled and hugged his arm tighter, bringing a sad smile to Morisato's face. She really did remind him of her sometimes…

"Oh then wouldn't that aquarium in your room be a little too small?" Oh now he could not let that one pass.

"Oh…? You really know about these things…" Morisato grinned at Serena's sudden flush. Mina matched him and whipped out a pair of funs.

"You two are just too hot for each other! Let me cool you off!"

"WW-What are you talking about?!" exclaimed Serena, blushing vividly. "You're making me blush! Stop it!"

The other girls smiled in amusement while Takuya shook his head in disgust, though he was smiling on the inside. It was good to see the Mina he remembered.

--

It was only a little while later that the shit really hit the fan. Darien had chosen the better part of valor and abandoned Takuya and Morisato to the girls and had ended up stumbling into another who had cut her hand while attempting to flirt with him. Unfortunately, Serena chose that exact moment to show up and the green-eyed beast was born anew.

"Darien, what are you doing?!" Scratch that. Make it a red-eyed demon. Fearing a sudden loss of temper, Darien was quick to protest.

"W-Wait, Serena! It's a misunderstanding!"

"No signs of makeup, no sex appeal whatsoever. Her figure isn't that bad, but I can already see the final answer." The blue-haired girl suddenly spoke with a devil's smile.

"WHAT?" Darien already knew a while ago that today was going to be one of those days but now he knew the truth. He should never have gotten up at all.

"I'm sorry, but I'll take him off your hands." The girl wrapped her arms around one of Darien's who gulped.

"C-Come on…" Really, was he that unlucky? Where was Eiji when you needed him? The boy had even worse luck compared to Darien when it came to attracting girls, but at least Eiji knew how to properly deal with them. Then again, it probably helped that Lita wasn't quick to lose her temper either…

Speaking of tempers…

"W-What was that…?" Serena karate-chopped the two apart with ease. She'd have to remember to thank Lita for teaching her that move later after she dealed with the interloper. She moved to block the girl away from Darien. "Who are you!?"

"Let's just say, your romantic rival…"

"Rival!?"

"Yes. But you're not really qualified enough to be my rival…" The girl smiled and closed her eyes, completely heedless of the volcanic Mount Saint Serena.

"Darien, what is the meaning of this!?"

By this time, the other girls and guys had shown up at the tail-end of the confrontation and were, for the most part, completely clueless as to what was going on.

"Well, I don't know even if you asked." Darien answered truthfully.

"What's wrong?" asked Lita. She was completely ignored by the duo, one who was trying to explain and one who demanded it.

"Give me an explanation!" screeched Serena.

"Well, as I said, I have no idea what's going on at all!" Takuya palmed his face and shook his head. The boy may be two years his senior, but Darien was so wishy-washy…

"You're in a world of your own with her already!" Rei sighed, already knowing that Serena was fully into her rant-mode.

"She suddenly appeared out of nowhere!" Darien really was unlucky, Morisato realized, a beautiful girlfriend but the luck of a bad gambler. The blue-haired girl smiled through all of this but suddenly stiffened at the sight of Lita and the kitten in her purse.

"So I'm telling you, to calm down, Serena…" begged Darien when both he and Serena suddenly noticed the girl was at the opposite side of the store, near the doors.

"I just remembered I have to be somewhere!" she laughed nervously. "W-Well, I'll be seeing you again soon enough. See ya! Bye-bye!"

"That… was weird…" muttered Morisato. '_Why would she run off like that?_' he thought. '_Cause of all of us?_'

--

"That damn Pegasus… whose dream is he hiding inside!?" Zirconia sat down wearily upon her faux-throne. "He always appears before me, but I cannot grasp him in my hands… how irritating…" Girlish giggling came from above near the tent's canopy amidst the trapeze wires and ropes that hung like spider-webs in the dark. "I see… The little girls have finally awoken…"

Zirconia watched as a familiar jell-like orb was bounced around amidst the ropes between the four shadowed figures before one shot it down towards the ground. Zirconia raised a finger and the orb halted in midair before floating over to her hand where she clutched it tight. "I understand how you feel, but don't break this ball just yet. Though they are pawns, they still have some use." She smiled as the shadowed face on her dress darkened.

"Though it seems that our queen, Lady Nehelenia, is starting to become rather upset now…"

--

Eiji walked seemingly in silence for some time, taking many backroads until he reached 'Takuya's Perch' as Morisato so eloquently named it. The black-haired boy knew the boy was otherwise distracted and Shiro was busy at the temple, so he was alone with his thoughts. He half considered the idea of seeking out his, girlfriend? Not quite the right word, but it was safe to say around those friends of hers. He immediately rectified that idea. It was one thing to hang out with the girls but it was another to hang out with the girls plus Darien. The boy had just as much bad luck as he did when it came to attracting the opposite sex and, senior and Tuxedo Mask aside, Darien was just too wishy-washy. Eiji was half-tempted to drag the man into military-style training but knew that he'd get an earful from Serena and Rini. Speaking of those two…

"You can come out. I know you're there." Silence before two familiar felines appeared behind him. Eiji quirked an eyebrow. "Is there something I can help you two with?"

"Yes there is actually, Eiji-sama." Luna stepped forward, looking up at the boy. "You can start by telling us want you wouldn't tell the girls."

"And what makes you think I didn't tell them everything?"

"Our old kingdom might be dead, but our brains are not," said Luna, a bit haughtily. "The girls might not have the concept of it but you do, Eiji-sama. You're a military man and you know better than to lay out all the cards on the table."

Eiji stared at her in silence for a moment before sighing. He bent down and kneeled before the two. "Before I begin talking, I've got to ask. Wouldn't you two prefer more even ground to talk to me? I'm sure you've got bad neck strain from having to look up at everyone all the time." The two cats blinked in surprise and exchanged wondering looks. None of the girls had ever considered the idea and, truth to tell, they did have the occasional twinge of pain now and again…

"Well, if you don't mind…" muttered Artemis, slightly embarrassed to admit it. Eiji shook his head and picked up the white cat and set him on a tree branch that was about even with his eyes before doing the same for Luna.

"I'm used to dealing with people smaller than me." Eiji answered. "So, what do you want to know?"

Luna looked to Artemis, who waved for her to go first. "What kind of monster is in your K-Zector?"

"Wow, right off the bat huh?" Eiji deadpanned. He sighed and shook his head. "Listen, before I tell you anything, you must swear to me that you will not reveal any of what I tell you to the girls unless you absolutely have to. There are some things they don't need to know. … And other things that they shouldn't know." The felines exchanged another, more serious look.

"If they do need to know, we will tell them." Artemis said. "I don't like lying to them."

"Nor do I." Eiji looked towards the sky. "… Okay, I'm sure the girls have told you about the nuclear symbol on Gojira's back so I can tell you already your assumptions are true. My kaiju, aptly named Godzilla by the Americans, was the only mutant created through nuclear power known and was entitled the King of Monsters. When I said that many weapons were created to combat the threat of the kaiju, I was speaking only half of the whole truth. Those weapons were created to destroy him. None of them worked, if that wasn't already obvious."

"I see… He was dangerous then?" asked Luna.

"Dangerous? He was the first to be classified as a daikaiju and was the only one to be entitled as a living natural disaster by the UN. It wasn't until fifty-years of trying to kill him that the UN set a law that prohibited attacking Godzilla because of his tendency to advance rather than retreat and the severe loss of life. So yes, I'd say he was dangerous." Eiji sarcasmed.

"Isn't that kind of risky, to use the power of such a monster?" asked Artemis.

"Isn't it also risky to have a group of teenaged girls with no true combat training fight against supernatural threats?"

"Touche."

"What about the weapons you spoke of, Eiji-sama?" asked Luna. "Wouldn't they have worked against the Crystals?"

Eiji shot her a deadpan look. "If they weren't afraid of making something worse, they would have. You've no idea how dangerous some of those weapons were, Luna. The Oxygen Destroyer did just as its name suggest. It destroys all the oxygen in the air and destroys organic life down to the bone, even if we could have. The Dimension Tide was destroyed in its third use and the plans for it were destroyed so we couldn't use it."

"What did it do, if you don't mind?" asked Artemis.

"It was a satellite armed with a cannon capable of firing miniature blackholes that were strong enough to suck in at least something as large as Tokyo Tower with ease." Both cats' ears drooped at that as they stared at the boy in shocked horror. Having lived in an intergalactic kingdom, they knew the power and potential threat of a blackhole.

"I can't imagine that any country could make such a thing."

"They didn't. It was one of the few UN sponsored weapons. Only with a unaminous vote could the damn thing be used." Eiji shrugged. "Most of the weapons were destroyed shortly after they were deemed failures and those that weren't were destroyed by the Crystal Incursion before we could even mobilize our forces against them."

Luna didn't miss the distinct sense of venom in the boy's voice when he spoke of the Crystals. "Do you hate crystals that much, Eiji-sama?"

"Hunks of rock that sit there and look pretty, no. Crystals that have the power to destroy the entire world, you're damn right I do." Eiji snarled. "You know what they did to my world, to my people, what reason have I not to hate them?" Luna and Artemis nodded, both silently agreeing that it was a good idea to not tell the Kamen Riders of the Silver Imperium Crystal.

"Are you sure that no one can steal the Rider technology from you?" asked Artemis, trying to smoothly changing the subject. "If it fell into the wrong hands…"

Eiji's eyes darkened a trifle. "Believe me, we've experienced our fair share of traitors. No, the K-Zector chooses the Rider, not the other way around. Once its attached, it cannot be removed, even by the Rider. Unless the Rider is dead…" He looked at the K-Zector on his wrist.

"Your father…?" Luna whispered.

"… Let's just say they wasn't much left to bury… and leave it at that alright?" Eiji took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Anything else?"

"There's a fourth way," stated Artemis. "For your armor to come off, isn't there? Something you didn't want Shiro to tell us before."

"… Yes. There is." Eiji looked straight into the eyes of the white cat. "You've got to realize our situation was desperate, we were willing to do anything to save our world, even if it meant destroying ourselves in the process." He lifted his K-Zector so that the faint outline of Godzilla could be seen on its black surface. "Inside this thing is a monster so terrible that nothing on earth can stop it, if it was to ever get out…" He sighed. "Look, I'm just going to be blunt about this, alright? There's more to the Cast-On System then what we said, there's a sort of sub-branch to it called the BioMerge System. It works on the same principles as the COS but instead of only portions of the Kaiju's power, we access all of it at once."

Luna's tail stood on end. "You mean—?"

"We become the very monsters we have sealed within ourselves." Eiji answered. "But only in form, it's still us. … For the most part…"

"That doesn't sound too good." Artemis stated.

"Continual use of the BioMerge System causes the M-base to evolve further beyond control and the mind to degrade into a more primal state and become severely unstable." He looked over his shoulder at the pair. "Don't worry. Risks to ourselves we might take, but we'd never put the lives of innocents in danger. You have my word on that."

Luna exchanged a look with Artemis before regarding the Rider once more. "Thank you, Eiji. I think that's enough questions for today."

"Good. If you want to know anything else, trying asking the Cosmos. Oh, and Luna? Don't call me –sama." Eiji leapt off the cliff and the two cats gasp in shock before hurrying over to the edge and watched as Eiji landed hard on a tree branch below before bouncing upwards and away into the park.

"That boy," muttered Artemis, "has some serious issues."

"All of the Kamen Riders do, Artemis." Luna said. "I think he let slip something he didn't mean to say. Remember? _"Risks to ourselves we might take"_. I've no doubt that any one of those Riders would take a bullet to the heart if it meant saving an innocent life."

"Yes, they are fatalistic aren't they?"

"Fatalistic? Maybe. True heroes? Definitely."

--

Fish-Eye was sitting alone in the darkness of the cage room in the tent. He had managed to find Darien again, this time without his girlfriend, and was so close to getting what he wanted, but Darien kept stopping him! Fish-Eye had asked what it was about that girl that had Darien so, so devoted to her that he wouldn't sneak a kiss with another 'girl'.

_**"Because she has a lot of dreams."**_ That is what he said. Were dreams that important?

"Oh, so you're here?" Fish-Eye turned and saw Tigers-Eye standing behind him, looking bored.

"Master Zirconia is calling for you. She seems rather upset about something."

"I see…" Fish-Eye looked back towards the wall, still thinking.

"Hey, have you done away with that guy already?" Tigers-Eye walked up to him.

"No…"

"Then, maybe that's the reason why." Tigers-Eye shrugged.

"Is it such an attractive thing to have many dreams?" Fish-Eye suddenly asked, earning a confused grunt from Tigers-Eye. "There are so many things that feel good right in front of your eyes. How can he say that a dream, something you're not sure will come true, is better?"

"What's your point?" asked Tigers-Eye, looking incredibly bored now.

"ONE." The board burst up from behind a shocked Tigers-Eye. "TWO." Shackles next. "THREE!" Tigers-Eye prepared for the pain of having his Dream Mirror come out when he realized that it hadn't, come out that is. He was merely shackled to the board with no mirror of dreams.

"What are you doing!?" exclaimed Tigers-Eye, shocked that Fish-Eye would be so, so calluous with their shared power.

Fish-Eye merely stared specutively at Tigers-Eye. "The mirror of dreams doesn't come out after all. Why don't we have any beautiful dreams?" he whispered.

"If we had such things, it would be a pain to keep living." Tigers-Eye tried to sound macho but failed seeing as he was currently shackled to a board. Fish-Eye glared at him and Tigers-Eye bit back a gulp. For a shrimp, Fish-Eye had the evil-eye down pat. The blue-haired Amazon sighed and walked away, still thinking, and leaving Tigers-Eye behind. A certain Black Rider came to mind, _**"You won't be raping another person's dreams ever again, you dreamless fish-freak!"**_

'_He knew…_' Fish-Eye realized. '_Gojira knows that we don't have Dream Mirrors, but how? And… why…?_'

--

Shiro stared into the sacred fires with some trepidation. Rei had spoken to him of the visions she had received in the past and how, now, her own powers of clairvoyance were being dampened by whatever power the enemy had at their beck and call. However, her powers and his were two entirely separate things. Her's was a power and skill that came naturally both through her bloodline and her previous life but his… His power came from artificial means twice over. Once through the K-Zector permanently attached to his wrist and twice through the kaiju Gamera, an artificially created monster that was made as a last defense, where nothing could be held back.

He took a deep breath through his nose and let it out slowly through his mouth, his eyes closing. He repeated the action several times before his eyes snapped open, glowing bright orange with mana. The fires before him seemed to flash brightly, twisting about as though in agonizing denial of his power before burning far brighter than before. The air wavered in the sudden increase of heat the blue flames generated before Shiro was allowed to See.

Towers of steel and glass, shadowed by darkness.

A heart beating against the tightening webs that bound it tight.

A pair of stars shining, struggling against the darkness.

A caged animal finally set free.

An angel falling from heaven, not in disgrace, but for the grace of another.

A scepter cleaving a beam of light through the darkness.

Shiro's eyes blinked and returned to normal, the sacred fire dying back down into a more relaxed flame. The visions were hidden with layer after layer of riddles and were not as specific as Shiro would have hoped. Gods, he didn't even know how far in the future the visions were. They could be in the next month or the next yea—

The fire flashed brightly and one more vision, far more powerful than the rest.

A pair of eyes, human eyes, as red as blood glaring out in the darkness as words composed of flame wrote themselves below, 'I Will Find You'.

And it was gone.

Shiro fell back onto the floor and gasped, a hand over his heart and sweat falling past his eyes. That, was NOT a normal vision. It wasn't something he wanted to see but needed to see. He looked around quickly, his eyes wide and slightly panicked, as though trying to find the source of the vision and its purpose. What he just saw wasn't a message of the future.

It was a warning.

--

"Listen carefully." Zirconia growled, a displeased frown on her wrinkly face. "In a few moments, Queen Nehelenia will generously speak with you directly."

"The Queen?" Hawks-Eye blinked in surprise.

"Lady Nehelenia?" Tigers-Eye whispered.

"What kind of a person is she?" asked Fish-Eye. He didn't remember ever having a queen. They took their orders from Zirconia, that was all he knew.

"She is the great master of our clan and the most beautiful woman in this world." Zirconia answered before spreading her arms wide, making the face on her robes even more pronounced. "Your Highness, Lady Nehelenia… Please grace us with your words…" The lights of the perfoming arena went out and she appeared in an instant. She was there and yet she wasn't. For all their powers, all that the Amazon Trio could see of their Queen was the lighted shadows of her face and her eyes glowing crimson in the dark.

_"I… hate to wait."_ Her voice was there but it sounded like it wasn't, that it was coming from every known way of technological communication rather than by word of mouth. _"And I have no need for minions that do me no good. If you fail again, the magic I have cast on you will wear off before the new moon. Hurry up… Hurry…"_ The shadows were gone and light was shining once more.

"Now, failure is not an option." Zirconia spoke. "Keep that in mind as you get to work."

"Please, wait." Tigers-Eye took a hesitant step forward.

"Hmm?"

"What did she mean by the magic she has cast on us?" asked Hawks-Eye, stepping forward as well.

Zirconia stared at them for a moment before chuckling then outright laughing uproariously.

"What so funny?" asked Fish-Eye, confused and scared. He had never seen Zirconia laugh and he didn't like it.

"You three still haven't figured out what you really are? Even those blasted Kamen Riders have realized it and taunt you because of it!" She glared down at them. "All right. Here, you can see your true forms for yourselves."

A large mirror appeared behind the Trio, who turned to stare at their reflections which began to warp and twist until, finally, the truth laid bare before them in the unlying reflections of their very souls.

"Impossible!" Fish-Eye gasped, his pupils small as he stared at the scaled form of his soul.

"T-This is…!?" Tigers-Eye gulped back the urge to hurl as his soul prowled in a tight circle, tail wavering.

"Our true—" Hawks-Eye watched the feathered flyer shriek soundlessly in the glass.

"Do you understand? You are not humans." Zirconia spoke bluntly, harshly, at the Trio. "Your human forms are merely maintained by my spells."

"Is that why we don't have any beautiful dreams of our own…?" whispered Fish-Eye. Hawks-Eye looked to him in confusion, his sharp eyes picking up Fish-Eye's barely spoken words.

"And, that spell won't last after the next new moon, either… But, that doesn't mean that there is no way for you to survive." Zirconia said. "The Pegasus! Using the power of the Golden Crystal, the horn atop the head of that Pegasus, you can stay in your human forms. There is no other way!"

--

Anguirus clung to his branch in silence as he watched the fish-freak summon another Remless to attack Sailor Moon and Mini-Moon. He had been walking through the park, actually trying to get some ideas for another date with Ami when he had heard Darien's voice screaming in pain. At first, Morisato had assumed it was Serena perhaps seeking vengeance for yesterday's strangeness but when he saw Serena and Rini run past him, he realized the truth.

It was another attack.

By the time he had transformed and had arrived upon the scene, the Moon Duo had already given their annunciation speech. As amusing as it was to watch, Anguirus himself was considering the idea of teaching them the concept of subtlety. Anguirus was about to leap in to join the two when he noticed that something was different about the fish-freak. As his best-friend, Anguirus had the obligation of upholding Gojira's promise to kill Fish-Eye for what he had done, but as a Kamen Rider, he was also obligated to find out about the sudden change in the Amazon's demeanor.

"Geez… you keep getting in my way until the very end, don't you?" he asked, voice sounding quite deadpan. "

Sailor Moon blinked in confusion. "End?" Anguirus' eyes narrowed behind his visor. '_What does the fish-freak mean by that?_'

"Come here my Remless… Acrobatic trampoline, Tobiharenu!" A masked man with a tuxedo and tophat sprung out of Fish-Eye's shadow, laughing.

'_Another circus-theme one again…_' Anguirus thought. '_There's a clue in there somewhere but I… damn it, it's just like the power behind the girls. Unless it's straight out obvious, I won't be able to comprehend it. Stupid magic._'

"I'm leaving this to you, Tobiharenu." Fish-Eye looked up at the Remless who laughed and shouted out, "SHOWTIME!" Before throwing his mask down towards the Moon Duo. Anguirus watched as it melted into the ground and form a large circle beneath the Sailor Scouts' feet before suddenly shooting them up into the air like a trampoline. The Remless laughed and tossed his shirt away to join the duo on the trampoline and Anguirus refrained from laughing. These Remless were just too ridiculous sometimes…

A sudden scream and beams of light shining brought Anguirus' attention back towards Darien, who had Fish-Eye's head deep inside his Dream Mirror. Biting back a curse, Anguirus made to jump down and pull the Amazon out when Fish-Eye pulled back with a startled cry. "Pegasus isn't in there…!" He looked at Darien with a sense of confusion mixed with defeat. "But why…? I had thought that he was definitely inside you…! This can't be!" Fish-Eye whipped out a knife and plunged it next to Darien's head. Fish-Eye bowed his head next to Darien's and, suddenly, water surrounded them both out of sight before it disappeared, taking Fish-Eye away and leaving Darien to fall onto the ground.

Saving the information he had gained for later, Anguirus decided that now was perhaps a good time to aid the Moon Duo. He jumped down and strolled up the bouncing pair and looked up at them as they bounced. "Having fun?"

"Stop the ride, I want to get off!" cried Mini-Moon.

"Get us off this crazy thing!"

"Alright, alright." Anguirus pulled out his hammer and held it like a baseball bat. He waited until Tobiharenu was descending before he struck. "_Ancient Strike!_" He swung his Ankylo Hammer like a bat and sent the Remless flying into a tree with a wailing, "STAGE-OUT!" The force of the blow created a strong gust of wind that had the two Sailor Scouts landed amidst the branches of a tree, their eyes swirling in place. "Hmm, might have put too much muscle in that one…"

--

"You… what…?" If looks could kill, Morisato would have died in a raging inferno. But he was used to Eiji's Glare of Death, as he called it, and waved it aside.

"I, essentially mind you, let the fish-freak go. You weren't there, Aniki. You didn't see how he was acting." Eiji's eyes were nearly red with fury.

"I. Don't. Care!" he snarled. "After what he did, he could act like the freaking Queen of England and I'd still want his head on a platter!"

"Little Brother," interrupted Shiro, stepping into their living room and looking more tired than Morisato had ever seen him. "What did your father say? About doing right?"

Eiji growled low in his throat before taking a calming breath. "Father said this, 'Even though you may have been wronged in the past, you've got to keep doing right'." He shot a glare at Morisato. "But I doubt he was talking about a rapist when he said this."

"Aniki, she wasn't the only one!" growled Morisato, now feeling a bit of the taller boy's anger. "All of our girls had their dreams raped by those animal-freaks! That doesn't make the fish-freak any special in comparison!"

"Oh? Then why did you spare it?" he frowned. "After all they've done, they deserve to pay for their crimes."

"And I agree with you whole-heartedly just…" Morisato sighed. "I don't know. The guy, girl, whatever, was looking just so… defeated… like somebody close to him, her… oh hell with it you know what I mean, died."

Takuya grinned and finally spoke up, "Maybe it was the bird-freak. I hate that one myself."

"Who knows?" Morisato shrugged. "I just think something about their plans have changed. The fish-freak looked so… desperate to find Pegasus in Darien…"

"Perhaps so, perhaps not." Shiro whispered, "or perhaps a bad moon is on the rise." He sighed and left for his room.

The other three exchanged looks.

"Okay… what the hell was that?" asked Takuya.

--

"Did you get changed?" Serena stepped into her room, a tray weighed down by a tea set. She had been walking back from Darien's place when the weather had suddenly taken a turn for the worse and, taking a shortcut, she ran into the girl that had come onto Darien the other day, sitting on the bench and letting herself get soaked to the bone. Serena invited the girl to her place and offered her some tea while she changed out of her wet clothes to wait out the storm. She had changed into one of Serena's large nightshirts but hadn't really dried herself off, seeming too out of it to really care.

"Here." Serena handed the girl a towel. "You're hair is still pretty wet." The girl took it wordlessly and stared at it as though it something made of silk while Serena focused on making the tea so that it wouldn't taste like warm-leaf juice.

"How old are you?" Serena tried to make some small-talk, not liking the uneasy silence. "What school do you go to…?" Really, the girl wasn't making it any easier.

"I hear that you have a lot of dreams…" the girl spoke softly, "Because Darien said so…"

That had Serena totally ignoring the tea.

"You met Darien again?!" She leaned up in the girl's face. "When?! Where?!" The girl sighed sadly and looked back down at the towel as Serena went on. "The fact that you were in the rain like that, did it have something to do with Darien after all?" Receiving no answer, Serena crossed her arms in a huff. "What, what's with this entailing silence?!"

"You're so easygoing… It makes me jealous." Serena stared at her, trying to figure out if the girl was trying to through her off the trail somehow. "I really envy you. Really… People with so many dreams…" The girl seemed to zone out once more, thinking back on something that had occurred and Serena returned her attention back to the tea.

"Oh, if you have some tea, you'll warm up at least a little bit." Serena took a sip of her cup, still a little bit angry at the girl for meeting with Darien again and letting her take her own cup.

"Hey, what's your biggest dream?" asked the girl.

Serena set down her cup and gave the girl an incredulous look before sighing. "What, you call yourself a rival, and you don't even know what it is?" Serena smiled and looked towards the picture that sat upon her nightstand. It showed herself and Darien posing in front of the park. Serena remembered that date well, it was one of the best she ever had with Darien.

Of course, any date that wasn't interrupted by a monster was always the best she ever had but that was beside the point.

"I see, that's true." The girl smiled for the first time since Serena had seen her last. "So that's your beautiful dream…" She remembered her failed attempt of getting the boy to kiss her. "Darien smiles like this when he's all alone with you, doesn't he?" Serena turned to her, a vein throbbing on her forehead.

"You know, I'd wish you'd stop talking about him like you know him so well." She decided to take a page out of Takuya's book. "I'll be blunt. Don't mess with us anymore." She smirked and leaned back with a sense of pride. "I will compliment you on having a good eye for men as he is the most handsome man in the world."

The girl's eyes narrowed for a moment before she suddenly remembered just where she had heard those words before. '_I can't believe it… This girl is… Sailor Moon?!_'

"Serena? Can you run an errand for me please?" Mrs. Tsukino's voice came from downstairs.

"Oh, sure!" Serena called down before standing. She looked down at the girl. "Wait here a bit. I will settle things about Darien with you when I get back!"

As soon as she was gone, the girl leaned forward and took the picture off Serena's nightstand and stared at it, her eyes narrowing. Looking at Serena's picture, all the things in her mind suddenly began to connect as the hazy mist lifted itself. "Sailor Moon…" She remembered what Darien had said, that Serena was so full of beautiful dreams. '_Is that why… she's so strong?_' Fish-Eye stiffened as she heard someone walk past the room. Moving as quickly, and silently, as she could, Fish-Eye looked out the door and watched as Rini walked up the stairs to her room.

Curious, Fish-Eye trailed after the girl and looked up at the stairs, silently wondering if she could get more information about Serena from this younger girl when she heard Rini speak, "Please, come out, Pegasus." There was a faint ringing of bells before another, more familiar voice spoke. _"Did you call?"_

Fish-Eye was near the top of the stairs in an instant. She looked out into the room slowly before she saw his image standing in a glowing crystal ball, his eyes only on the young girl kneeling before him. Fish-Eye ducked back down out of sight before the girl or Pegasus could spot her. '_That's who he's hiding inside…!?_' She remembered Zirconia's words that, without the Golden Crystal atop Pegasus' head, she and the others would be… She lifted her hand and watched as green scales sprouted out from the pale skin, her nails lengthening.

She had to do it.

--

Eiji stood on the porch of his home, standing just short of being in the torrential downpour. Rain… how often had he missed the chance of hearing it, of feeling the water fall upon him, cool liquid easing the fire that sometimes burned him. Having to bunker underground for most of the war, he missed such simple pleasures as this. The people of this world truly did not know how lucky they were for something so beautiful as rain to fall upon their world, washing it clean and renewing life.

"Oh gods," he muttered, massaging the bridge of his nose. "I've been hanging out with Shiro too much."

"I don't know…" A soft female voice spoke from behind him. "I kind of like the non-Emo Eiji-kun." She was tall for a Japanese woman, though she was a few inches shorter than him, and her hair, cropped short like Ami's, was a blazing white despite the fact that she was barely half-a-decade older than him. Her eyes were blue and seemed to shine with their own kind of light, seeing things that couldn't be seen with a kind of wisdom that came from great age.

"Midoriko?" Eiji turned to her in surprise. "Back from work already?"

She shook her head. "I never left, Eiji. I have today off, remember?"

"Oh, right. Of course." He looked once more out towards the city, faintly noting the rain was beginning to grow weaker.

"Eiji… are you upset with me?" That got his attention.

"What?" He looked surprise by that. "Why would I be?"

"Because I've refused to join you and the boys in this… escapade of yours." Midoriko answered.

"Hey, it's your choice what you do with yourself. At least you got one." He looked back out towards the city.

"So do you and the boys. This isn't our war, Eiji." He snarled and clenched his fist slightly.

"The hell it's not! This is our home and I refuse to lose it again." He looked over his shoulder at her. "Look, I respect that you want to be a pacifist, but the guys and I…" He sighed. "We have the chance to fight and defend our home and we're going to with everything we've got." He walked back into the house without another word, leaving a sighing Midoriko to stand just short of the rainfall.

"As I would, if I could that is." Shiisa stepped out on the porch, holding a pair of steaming cups of tea. "I thought you had agreed that they were doing the right thing, Midoriko."

She took her cup and drank from it. "I don't disagree with that sentiment, Shiisa… It's just…" She sighed. "It was pure good fortune that gave Shiro back to us. I don't want to bury anymore of my family, Shiisa. My heart just can't take the thought of losing them."

"As my own does. They're my students, my sons, and my pack. I'd be out there with them, fighting by their side if I could but…" He looked down at his K-Zector, colored dully and lacking of the light that shined in the boys' own. "If his spirit truly is broken… what does that say about mine?"

Midoriko frowned and placed her hand atop Shiisa's. "Nothing. I may not be taking as large a role as you, Shiisa, but I am not blind. I've seen what you've done for those boys. You train them still, you push them to be the best they can be and to look out for those girls. You may not fight by their side, but you're right there when they need you." She looked up towards the raining clouds. "I just feel like I've… abandoned them…"

"Hmmm." Shiisa sighed. "You remember what Eiji-kun told us? About finding out who the Sailor Scouts really were."

"Yes." Midoriko nodded. "And they told them about who they are, correct?"

"Exactly." He stepped up to stand beside her and looked out towards the sky. "Look, you know that my martial art can't be taught to girls, they haven't got the kind of body strength necessary to pull off most of the moves and these girls rely more on magic than on physical prowess anyway."

"Yes…" Midoriko spoke cautiously, wondering where Shiisa was going with this.

"The boys might not like it, but I'm sure they'll appreciate you teaching the girls."

"I? Teach the Sailor Scouts? But, Shiisa, what on earth would I teach them?"

"What else?" Shiisa shrugged but was grinning. "Magic."

"… You know that I refuse to fight." She said. "So why ask this of me?"

"I'm not asking you. I'm just offering you an idea of how to be involved without becoming a Kamen Rider." He frowned. "Though we'll have to figure out how a way to stop this dampening field…"

Midoriko sighed and shook her head, putting her focus on the cup of tea in her hands. "I'll think about it…" Shiisa nodded but, seeing her answer out of the corner of his eyes, smiled knowingly.

--

"WHAT?!" Zirconia's face was ecstatic, her vampiric fangs showing as she eagerly leaned forward, thinkin she had misheard what Fish-Eye had said. "Who is it?!" Fish-Eye suddenly seemed to have lost his voice, something that served to only annoy Zirconia. "What's wrong? Answer me!"

"Before that, Master Zirconia…" Fish-Eye looked up towards the purple-skinned witch. "Please answer one question." Zirconia frowned in annoyance but didn't make a motion to stop the Amazon. "Can we really become humans…?"

Zirconia's eyebrows twitched. "What do you mean by that?" Fish-Eye bowed his head spread his arms pleadingly to Zirconia.

"Even if we were able to stay in human form we'd merely be taking the shapes of humans and wouldn't have beautiful dreams." He looked up at Zirconia. "But can you call that human?" Hawks-Eye and Tigers-Eye stared at their once meeker compatriot in wonder, surprised at his gall to ask such a question though they too were thinking the same.

Zirconia remained silent.

"Please answer me, Master Zirconia!" pleaded Fish-Eye. Zirconia eyed the Amazon for but a moment before raising a hand up, palm facing Fish-Eye, before clenching her hand tight like she was squeezing the life out of something.

And she was.

Fish-Eye gasped and fell to his knees as he felt his heart being painfully gripped by Zirconia, who only added more agony to him by twisting her hand and, through it, Fish-Eye's heart. Tigers-Eye and Hawks-Eye made to grab a hold of Fish-Eye lest he hurt himself but turned their eyes instead to the torturer.

"Please stop, Master Zirconia!" Tigers-Eye begged. Zirconia huffed in annoyance but did so, causing Fish-Eye to collapse upon the ground, gasping for air, into the startled Tigers-Eye, who held him upright.

"You are just expendable pawns… What nerve you have…" Hawks-Eye shot a glare at Zirconia out of the corner of his eye. " Mere beasts need not speak so arrogantly! I have no need to actually ask you, anyway! Right, Zircon?" The winged eyeball flapped its wings eagerly before shining a holographic image of a familiar blue-eyed, pig-tailed girl to the Amazon Trio. "It looks like this girl is who Pegasus is hiding in."

"N-No! She has nothing to do with it!" yelled Fish-Eye, sounding oddly proctective of the girl. Zirconia ignored him and favored her gaze upon Hawks-Eye.

"Hawks-Eye, you shall go." Hawks-Eye bowed extravagantly.

"Yes…" Zirconia held up her hand once more, earning a flinch from the Trio before confusion overrode fear as a jellylike orb appeared in the witch's hand.

"This is the magic sphere that created your human forms." Zirconia explained. "This sphere shall grant your wish again… Yes. If we add the powers of the Golden Crystal, Pegasus' horn, you can stay in human form forever." Zirconia banished the ball into Hawks-Eye's hands. Holding it reverently, Hawks-Eye bowed his head and uttered a hushed, "Master…"

Fish-Eye looked up at Hawks-Eye pleadingly. "Hawks-Eye…" The pink-haired Amazon spared him a glance before backflipping out-of-sight.

"Tigers-Eye, keep Fish-Eye under guard," ordered Zirconia. Tigers-Eye matched Hawks-Eye's earlier uttering as Fish-Eye sat up slowly in his arms.

"I'm all right, I can get up by myself…" Fish-Eye reassured his fellow Amazon as he staggered to his feet with Tigers-Eye helping him regardless.

"It's all right, just hang onto me…" he muttered, angry at Zirconia for hurting his fellow Amazon when Fish-Eye suddenly shoved Tigers-Eye off his feet. "Fish-Eye!" But the aqua-type Amazon was already backflipping out-of-sight. "Wait, Fish-Eye!" Tigers-Eye leapt out-of-sight into his ring-of-fire and disappeared after the errant Amazon.

Zirconia hummed thoughtfully in the silence, staring at where all three had stood. "I guess this is it for the Amazon Trio…" Girlish giggling echoed from the rafters and Zirconia couldn't help but sigh in annoyance. She just knew that these four would lead to more headaches… "I know. Finish them off as you like."

A small orb, smaller than a soccerball and colored bright blue bounced down onto the ground, rolling into a single party hat before the hat glowed and disappeared out-of-sight.

--

"I don't like this, not one bit." Morisato said. "Do you think she might have been kidnapped?"

"By who?" Takuya snorted. "Even if the enemy figured out who she was I doubt they'd go after her. It ain't like she's that much of a target in the first place."

"Hrmph, why do I always get stuck with the pessimistic ones?" Morisato mumbled to himself. '_I hope Shiro-kun and Aniki are having better luck than we are…_'

--

Shiro was in fact not having better luck, his ability to see the mana of life being so suppressed that he was lucky to see someone's aura from a distance of less than a yard and Eiji… Well, Eiji didn't realize it, but he was about to have much better luck than the rest while also receiving the worst luck of all.

He and the others were at home when the phone rang and they found out of Rini's disappearance. Already knowing that the enemy was acting strangely and knowing how important Rini was to their cause, the boys immediately volunteered to aid in the search and had paired off to cover more ground. With the night growing darker and the day growing later, Eiji and Shiro had split up to cover more ground, hoping that their somewhat psionic abilities would pull through for them.

A burst of sudden despair riding on the wind nearly had Eiji stumbling as a familiar voice screamed, "HAWKS-EYE!" Eiji stopped short of his stumble and turned to where the scream originated. '_That sounds like the fishfreak. Another attack!_' He began to run as he held up his K-Zector.

"Execute! Kaiju-Spirit Evolution!"

"WAKE UP!" A robotic voice proclaimed as Eiji's form was enveloped in a cocoon of light with branches of lightning circling like sharks around its crystalline surface. While on the outside, one would see a human sized cocoon but that concept would be immediately thrown out the window should one actually witness what was occurring within.

It was a void devoid of life, form, or function where only two things stood. One was Eiji Kusanagi, his arms spread wide as he roared like a primordial beast, the towering creature behind him reciprocating the call as it burst into beams of light that appeared as pieces of black armor grafted themselves to his form. He fell down through the void and landed on a small pentagon that served as the only means of standing in the dark expanse. He raised his arm upwards and shot a beams of atomic light into the sky, tearing a hole large enough for him to burst out into the primary world. The cocoon of light burst and faded from sight as the Black Rider stood where once a seemingly normal boy had just moments ago.

"KAMEN RIDER GOJIRA!"

Without missing a step, Gojira accelerated his run until he jumped high into the air and landed atop a pillar of stone overlooking the battlefield. He quickly scanned what was happening, the entire Amazon Trio was there and… Gojira blinked behind his helmet. The birdfreak was dead… but… why would he be…? Gojira looked towards the Remless and frowned. It wasn't any kind of Remless that they had seen before, this one was different more… primal, no that wasn't it. This Remless was missing something the other Remless had while also containing something different too, but Gojira could figure out what. All he knew was that this Remless was attacking the Trio, for whatever reason.

That was when Gojira saw her.

Serena, lying facedown upon the ground amidst the shards of her shattered Dream Mirror. He wasn't even aware that his hand had twisted his K-Zector around but that didn't stop him. "Cast-On!"

"CAST-ON!" A brilliant flash of light and suddenly there was now a row of holographic, crystalline spines running down Gojira's back and a large serpentine tail that waved in the air behind him. The spines and tail both were a brilliant silver color though they were translucent and his nuclear symbol faintly aglow with the same light.

"CHANGE KAIJU OKAMI!"

He aimed his cannon down towards the remaining members of the Amazon Trio, preparing to fire when Fish-Eye handed a jelly-like sphere to Tigers-Eye and made several strange hand-motions before a ring-of-water appeared above him and Rini floated out from it, completely encased in ice. Tigers-Eye murmured something to Fish-Eye too quietly for Gojira to hear before raising the sphere up. '_What are they…?_'

The orb began to glow brightly with light as Serena's body was raised up alongside the shards of her Dream Mirror. The shards began to pulse before coming together to reform Serena's mirror of dreams, which was quick to melt back into Serena's soul, away from the mortal plane. Serena's eyes returned to normal and Gojira… Gojira was feeling more than a fair share of guilt. If he had attacked the duo… Serena would have… '**No. She is alive now. Better to live with real regrets than with those that never happened in the first place.**'

Fish-Eye smiled and looked up towards Gojira before focusing his attention back at Serena and Rini. "Quickly, transform into Sailor Moon!" The two girls, and one Rider, looked towards the blue-haired Amazon in shock just as the orb in Tigers-Eye's hand shattered, sending the Amazon Duo to the ground in a lifeless heap.

"To help the enemy…" Mr. Magic Pierrot growled. "Geez, the things that garbage tends to do…"

That did it. There were few things that could ever be said that would break Gojira's temper. To his credit, he hated the Amazon Trio, more so than any of the other Riders, but the Black Rider could sense more than see the sacrifice they had made. They had a choice to fight the Remless and lose against it but they chose to revive someone who could win and avenge their fallen friend. To show such disrespect to those who sacrificed their lives so that the life of their friend could be avenged… brought forth a berserker-like rage from the Black Rider.

Gojira growled low in his throat and leapt towards the Remless, slashing at its face only for the thing to bounce away in merry glee. "Die in agony!" Gojira roared, firing blast after blast at the laughing Remless. Pierrot was by no means a fool, though he acted the part quite well. He wouldn't stop moving to allow the Black Kamen Rider a chance to destroy-

"_Flaming Barrage!_" A shotgun-series of plasma fire shot by where Pierrot had stood before leaping upwards into the air and floating there above reach. He turned and laughed. "The gang's all here!" The Kamen Riders all had their Cast-On Systems activated and ready to use against the Remless but the heavy artillery was already underway.

"_Moon Gorgeous… Meditation!_" Pierott had only enough time to turn around as the blast of kaleidoscopic shards destroyed him easily.

"STAGE OUT!"

--

They had placed the three Amazons together, lying side-by-side. Two dead and the third dying. Gojira had explained what they had done as best as he could, but even he did not know the full details of what had happened. There wasn't time for the answers they needed but there was just enough to know why.

"You saved us?" whispered Sailor Moon, kneeling beside Fish-Eye. "Why…?"

Fish-Eye smiled weakly. "I really envy you. Really… People with so many dreams…" Sailor Moon's eyes widened with shocked recognition.

"You're… that girl?" she gasped. Anguirus and Rodan exchanged looks. '_That girl…? The one from the other day?_'

Fish-Eye smiled and closed his eyes as water surrounded him in a tight tornado as fire surrounded Tigers-Eye and feathers did the same for Hawks-Eye. When the the three miniature tornadoes died down, there was no longer the Amazon Trio, but a trio of animals in their place. A hawk, a tiger, and a fish.

The Sailor Scouts stared in shock at the true forms of the Amazon Trio while the Kamen Riders stood back stoically. They suspected a long time ago that the Trio weren't human and, once Gamera had joined their midst, they had confirmed it and here, lying dead before them, was the proof. Somehow, they did not feel glad with such knowledge.

Beside them all stood Pegasus, silently watching the events unfold instead of vanishing as he normally did. The sound of bells began to ring as Pegasus' horn began to glow.

"Pegasus…?" Sailor Mini-Moon looked at the white, winged stallion in confusion before the Amazon Trio suddenly reverted back to their humanoid forms and floated upwards before them. They gasped for air as Dream Mirrors slowly bleed out from their chests.

"Dream Mirrors…?" Fish-Eye gasped in surprise, suddenly finding himself alive and… His eyes grew wet with tears. "Then… we were able to become human in the very end…" The Trio exchanged warm smiles before they melted away into small spheres which soon vanished into their Dream Mirrors.

Pegasus rose up into the air before the Scouts and Riders, the three mirrors floating before him. _"Souls with dreams will find salvation in the end. Those three…"_ One could almost see the smile on Pegasus' face. _"Humans… will be fine…"_ And with that, Pegasus vanished out of sight, the three mirrors accompanying him to wherever he roams.

--

The darkness was never ending in a void devoid of true-life. Only those that had forsaken it could reside here in a world of refuge from the light and the Truth. It was here that the dead lived and the living died, where the lie was the truth and the truth was the lie.

It was here, that They called home.

They have been gone from the true-life for too long, waiting in the void for a chance to return. Their wounds were great there, but even more so Here in this void where the only light there was came from those capable of generating it, and that number was down to Them and Him. They took amusement in watching His frustration of trying to find those that they both, one knowing and one unknowingly, shared great hatred for. Were He ever successful, They'd seize His chance of revenge against them, but He was proving slow and incompetent, despite what He had done to the life-covered world that They, much to Their anger, could not even scratch so great were its defenders.

When the Defenders were still alive that is.

Perhaps… a little bit of help was in order, yes?

Hrrmmm, yes, they were not alone here. Those others… they could prove useful to Them.

No, not Them. To Him.

They would light His path to those Others, and let Him assume what He believed of Himself. They would wait in the shadows, resting until the time was right. After all…

Resting is for the Dead.

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_Morisato:_ Well, looks like the Amazon Trio are out of the game and there are some new players up to bat. Whoa, check out those girls with the funky hairstyles! Wonder how much time it takes for them to get their hair like that every morning. Eh? The new players are girls? Called the Amazoness Quartet? Man, are we dealing with the Circus or freaking Greek Warriors? Wait, what I just say? The Circus?

The Stars of the Dead Moon! The Amazoness Quartet!


	12. Stars of the Dead Moon!

Me: Dudes... that was just...

Bahamut: Yeah...

Me: Who'da thought a racing movie could be so...

Mewtwo: Trippy...?

Me: Yeah... So many colors...

Poupoko: But what about the racing?

Me: THAT WAS TOTALLY AWESOME!! I didn't know you could use a car that way! It was like a monster truck rally on a race track! Go, Speed Racer, GO!

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

The Stars of the Dead Moon! The Amazoness Quartet!

The reflective surface of the black mirror showed Zirconia and yet it did not. The aged witch could see herself briefly in the reflective surface but it was soon masked by the figure of her Lady and master, Queen Nehelenia. The woman did not look pleased, from what Zirconia could see in the depths of the mirror, though there was a smile on her face as she told her servant the better way of finding where Pegasus was hiding.

"Is that… really true?" asked Zirconia.

"_**It is… The mirror of dreams in which Pegasus hides is affected by the Golden Crystal.**_" Nehelenia's image vanished to be replaced by the image of a Dream Mirror colored a shining gold instead of an ordinary pink. "_**The mirror itself should have a golden glimmer.**_" Nehelenia appeared once more in the dark mirror. "_**You understand, Zirconia? The Golden Mirror. Find, and capture, the one with a golden Dream Mirror…**_"

The purple-skinned ringmaster bowed her neck before the reflected image of her Queen. "Yes… There shouldn't be many people with beautiful dreams left…" Zirconia's eyebrows drew together tightly. "_**I am sure that Pegasus will soon fall into our hands.**_"

"_**Use those four girls well… However, never be caught off-guard…**_" Nehelenia warned Zirconia before fading out of sight as the mirror returned to be nothing more than an ordinary mirror.

"As you wish…" Zirconia bowed once more, "true queen of the moon, our beautiful Lady Nehelenia."

--

"So… think we won?" Eiji gave Morisato an incredulous look before returning to the task at hand, cleaning his K-Cycle. Only when he was transformed as a Kamen Rider would the bike look like anything else out of an ordinary, albeit more advance, motorcycle. Eiji was actually surprised that Morisato had at least managed to replicate his bike to early twenty-first century standards instead of the current late twentieth century lot that surrounded them.

"Do you really think whoever controlled the Trio only had them to rely on?" asked Eiji. "At the very least, they have more of those Remless at their beck and call."

"Yeah, but those guys are easy to beat!" exclaimed Morisato from where he was working on finishing his own K-Cycle.

"True, but I somehow doubt they were a reflection of the ringleader. Recall how they were summoned." Eiji said.

"Through their shadows, so?"

"A shadow has long been believed to be a reflection of one's soul. Those three, while strong, were nothing more than animals in human form." Morisato's eyes widened slightly.

"Aw, shit…"

"Exactly." Eiji nodded. "Those three were footsoldiers, back when the enemy underestimated the girls and knew nothing of us. This time, they'll up the ante and send out their strongest to find Pegasus."

"So, what's the plan then, Aniki?"

"The same as always. We stop them, by any means necessary."

--

Takuya really hated his luck. He had to have done something truly bad in a previous life if Lady Luck hated him this much. Here he was going to the arcade to let out some steam, maybe smash a few heads, digital or otherwise, and who should be there but Pinky and her purple-haired friend along with Pinky's future mother and father.

God, was that concept ever not going to earn a disturbed shiver from him or what?

Apparently the circus was in town, to coin a phrase, and the two girls were eager to see while, simultaneously as only little girls can do, were dreaming of growing up and finding love like Serena and Darien. It was only the fact that Takuya didn't curse around children under the age of ten that kept the girls' hopes from being popped by his sardonic nature. That and the group had yet to notice him so he was keeping his mouth shut lest he spoil his chance of escape.

The sound of gunfire ruined that chance though by having Takuya go into a trained response of dodgerolling out of the way, his hand going to his K-Zector when he realized it was merely the sound of one of the arcade's shoot-em-up games. Blushing slightly and uttering several foul words in his head, Takuya stood and, ignoring the looks he was getting from the group he had been trying to avoid, looked over at the most bizarre group of girls he had ever seen.

All four were dressed almost exactly alike save for the color of their form-fitting dresses that fell just short of indeceny. Each one was color-coded red, green, blue, and yellow respectively with matching hair, save for the yellow one whose hair was rosy pink. Speaking of hair, their's was the most ridiculous Takuya had ever seen. Living a life where a comb was near Godsend, Takuya saw their… unique… hairstyles as being far too extreme and time-consuming. He was glad that Mina kept her hair plain and straight with but a single bow and— where the hell did that thought come from? Gods, he was NOT turning into Morisato.

The pink-haired one, whom Takuya dubbed as Tulip for the flower in her hair, had some sort of pager on her that was going off. Looking down at it to see the message, she looked up at her… sisters? With similar taste in clothes and extravagant hairstyles, they had to be. "Everyone… Let's go. They're calling for us." The green one, Ropy for her hairstyle, got up from the game, earning a place in the top five, but below him Takuya was smug to realize. Baby-Blue was still eating her ice cream and Ponytail was still chewing her bubblegum when they walked past him and the others when Ponytail suddenly stopped to look over towards Rini and Momo.

"I think you're sadly mistaken."

"What?" demanded Momo, offended by the rude comment. Takuya's eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms, waiting for the show to commence.

"Adults have to see what society has to say about them to even have a dream." Baby-blue smiled.

"Of course, there isn't one thing that's fun once you're an adult!" agreed Ropy.

"In other words, it's best to stay as a child and not to become an adult," said Tulip. By now, Takuya had, had enough.

"I'm sorry but the job of irritatingly obnoxious jerk has been filled, do try to find another position elsewhere, maybe out of the rock you brats have been hiding under." The four stared up at him, Baby-blue in confusion while Ropy and Ponytail both glared at him. Tulip, however, was staring at him rather oddly and, for a flicker of time, there was a faint blush on her face. Shaking their heads in resignation at the older boy, earning a very large vein-tick from him in the process, the quartet turned and walked out the arcade, chanting a strange song as they went.

"Dream, dream, don't doubt it. A dream of dreams that dreaming children have. Dream, dream, don't doubt it. A dream of dreams that dreaming children have." It was only as they were walking away that Takuya noticed how utterly indecent their clothes were for children so young and he swore then and there that if he ever had the luck, fortunate or not he would never say, to have a daughter, she'd be stuck wearing nothing but kimonos if he had any say in it.

Then again, knowing Mina…

Oh, gods he was turning into Morisato!

"Todays children have a severe outlook on life…" muttered Andrew. Takuya refrained from his first comment.

"Todays children are composed of nothing but smart-aleck brats if you ask me." Okay, so he couldn't stop himself completely. He noticed the glare he was getting from Rini's friend. "Present company excluded. I guess."

"They're just grouchy because they don't have boyfriends who are head-over-heels for them," said Serena with a knowing smile, earning a sweatdrop from Darien and a disgusted look from Takuya.

"Hrmph, whatever ya say, Rabbit." He shrugged and started to leave the arcade, already knowing he'd need another place to release some frustration elsewhere. '_Still… damn it, what is it with me and little kids?_'

'**You already know the answer to that.**'

'_Kaoru-chan… gomen…_'

He turned around and tilted his head, much like a large bird inspecting something smaller but still interesting, and leaned down to look more into Momo's eyes, which was hard since he was quite tall for his age. "Look… Rini's friend… I ain't one to be soft with my words so I'll tell it to ya straight. Age doesn't matter. Fun is fun, whatever it is and whenever it is. Look at Serena, she's nearly twice your age and still has the same maturity level."

"Yeah I-HEY!"

Takuya ignored her. "So chin up alright? What was it that Kusanagi-sama used to say…? Ah yeah, 'An enemy's cruelest weapons can be words—don't let them cut you down.' Well," Takuya started to stand upright. "I've done my—" He stopped and stared. The poster that Andrew had put up didn't seem that interesting, and still didn't. Of course, the name of the circus was something rather odd, if not entirely disturbing. DEAD Moon Circus? Didn't exactly sound like a family fun-park. The Japanese was plain as was the image but it was the English-form of the circus' name that caught Takuya's eagle-eyes.

Rather, the symbol on its border.

If he hadn't had his head tilted as it was, he would never have noticed, never have made the connection. It all made sense now! He pushed past a confused Serena and Darien and ripped the poster off the wall and, ignoring a stuttering/shocked Andrew, took off towards home-base.

Kusanagi was going to have a fit when he saw this!

--

"Dream, dream, don't doubt it. A dream of dreams that dreaming children have. Dream, dream, don't doubt it. A dream of dreams that dreaming children have. Dream, dream, don't doubt it. A dream of dreams that dreaming children have. Dream, dream, don't doubt it. A dream of dreams that dreaming children have." The performers of the Dead Moon Circus spoke in monotone yet with a kind of rhythm that made the odd words sound like a tune. As they sung the melody, four figures appeared amidst their group, all four seemingly nothing but ordinary girls but, as Takuya had already scrutinized upon seeing them, the girls were anything but normal.

"Quiet! QUIET DOWN!" Zirconia called out from the darkness, causing the performers to disperse and leave the quartet of girls behind to face the ringmaster. Zirconia stepped forward and glared down at the girls as each in turn reached up to grab a colored orb out of nowhere to bring down before them as their normal attire changed to match who they really were.

"CereCere, the master of flowers." The pink-haired Amazoness smiled.

"PallaPalla, the ball-rider!" The blue-clothed Amazoness giggled joyfully.

"JunJun, the acrobat." Spoke the rough-voiced Amazoness.

"VesVes, the beast-tamer." The red-headed Amazoness said.

"The Amazoness Quartet is here!" Spoke all four of the girls.

"You're late!" yelled Zirconia, quite sick of the constant tardiness that seemed to plague her minions. "What were you doing all this time!?"

"And what do you want, old hag Zirconia?" JunJun balanced her Amazon Stone with one finger.

"You know, we are busier than you think." CereCere sighed, floating her Stone up in the air with one hand.

"If you want something from us, hurry up and tell us." VesVes had her arms crossed with an annoyed look on her face as her Amazon Stone bobbed in the air next to her.

"In other words… I am too busy playing around!" laughed PallaPalla, playing with her Stone.

"IDIOTS!" roared Zirconia, shaking the entire tent with the voice of her voice, earning a cringe from the Quartet. "You were not awakened to go play! What happened to your search for the one who Pegasus is hiding in!?"

"Nothing came of it," answered JunJun.

"We have no reason to follow your orders." CereCere said, an eyebrow raised at Zirconia.

"I hate being told what to do." PallaPalla said childishly.

"Do you really mean that…?" Zirconia's eyelids lowered dangerously low, her eyes almost unseen.

"Then, what will you do…?" challenged JunJun while, beside her, VesVes smiled in preparation for what she was about to do.

"You give me no choice…" Zirconia spread her arms as though to cast a spell upon the group. "If telling you won't convince you…"

"Oh my…" spoke CereCere, totally unconcerned.

"Oh, you're going to try?" asked JunJun, actually interested in what Zirconia had planned.

"Interesting…" VesVes brandished her Amazon Stone in hand before leaping up towards Zirconia. "Then, I'll take the title of the ringmaster!" She twirled tightly in place before holding the Stone before her to strike. "Ball… Ball… Attack!"

Zirconia held out her hand to meet the Stone, which stopped short of actually touching the Ringmaster. Amazon Stone began to combat against circus magic in a lightshow that had the remaining three Amazonesses holding a hand over their eyes to watch as their sister attacked on her own, not a single one even considering the idea of helping her.

Not that she needed it.

VesVes Stone began to push back against Zirconia's magic, forcing the witch's arm back as she struggled against the Amazoness' power. "This one is mine!" yelled VesVes in victory. That served to only infuriate the Ringmaster of the Dead Moon, and if there was one thing anyone should never do is too anger one whose power comes from such dark emotions. Zirconia's blast of magic sent VesVes flying straight into her sisters, knocking them down in a rough dogpile. But the magic wasn't without its price. Zirconia, for all her power, was gasping for air as the girls groaned on the ring below in pain, completely oblivious to the weakness of their 'master'.

"Ouch…" muttered VesVes as she pushed herself up on her hands as JunJun did the same beside her.

"We totally blew it…" muttered the green-clothed Amazoness.

PallaPalla struggled to contain her tears as she held her hands above her bloodied knee. "I scraped myself!"

"Give me a break, we have bigger problems right now!" exclaimed an incredulous CereCere.

Zirconia kept her hand outstretched, still trying to get her breath back from VesVes' attack. '_They're strong… if all four came after me at once, I'd have been in danger…_' But Zirconia was not about to let them realize that, not a chance. She took a deep breath and spread her arms and spoke with a heavy gloat in her voice. "There?! Do you know where you stand now?! Finishing you off is like twisting a baby's arm! You shall go find who Pegasus is hiding inside right now… Do you understand!?" None of them looked happy but two of them, PallaPalla and CereCere, were afraid and that was enough for the ringmaster. She threw Zircon's recent photograph down towards the Quartet and watched as it hovered before VesVes.

"Eh? What's this…?" The red Amazoness looked surprise at the familiar person on the photo.

It was Momo.

--

"So, this is where they've been hiding…" Eiji stared down at the poster for the circus and quirked an eyebrow. "Dead Moon? Not exactly subtle are they?"

"What I don't get is why we never noticed them. I mean, that circus tent has been around since this whole mess started!" exclaimed Morisato.

"Perhaps they work in the similar magics as you've described the girls using, Eiji." Midoriko spoke before taking a sip of her tea. "The connections were there but the path was shrouded in mist."

"Have you tried looking at it with your Sight, Saitoh?" asked Takuya, who earned a silent no from the shorter boy.

"I've not been able to get close to. I hate to say it, but I think whatever power Fish-Eye used to create that energy barrier is what powers the circus tent. The closet I've ever gotten was near the entrance and even then my M-base was virtually nonexistent."

"Hrrmmm," Eiji glared liquid death at the poster. A frontal assault was out of the question and he wouldn't dare tell the girls. They would leap in head-first rather than make out some kind of plan, a plan that heavily relied on the Kamen Riders than on the Sailor Scouts. Call it protective instincts, but Eiji would rather not see his fiancée-to-be in danger. His cell suddenly went off and, not bothering to spare a glance at who it was, Eiji answered, "Hello? Aw, Lita… how are things?" Speak of the princess… "Hrm? …… Oh that's a nice bit of luck. …… Oh, don't worry about it, you and the girls go enjoy yourselves, okay? …….Hrm, yes it's fine to have your cell off during the sure, you can call during intermission if you want. …… Sure, the Plaza is fine. …… Ashiteru, Lita, ja na."

Eiji hung up and ignored the looks he was getting from his fellow Riders. Really, did Morisato need that ridiculous smile? He just said how he felt about Lita that's all. He just hoped that she and the girls enjoyed… the… "Wait, what? SHIT!" He grabbed his cell-phone and quickly dialed Lita's number. "Pick up, pick up, pick up-DAMN IT!" He snapped his phone shut. "Oh, me and my damn big mouth!"

"What's the matter, Aniki?" asked Morisato, confused and a bit alarmed at Eiji's sudden turnaround. Eiji leveled a baleful glare at the scarred boy.

"Guess where the girls are going?" Shiro paled and looked down at the poster while Morisato himself gasped in shock.

"Aw, shit!" Takuya was never one to misstate the obvious.

--

The city rooftops were bare, near empty of life save for the occasional bird or two. A flock of pigeons, cooing gently under the moonlight, were startled by a winged form flying past them at supersonic speeds with another, more jetlined shape, following in its wake. Abruptly, the winged Rodan stopped and flapped his holo-wings before landing atop a billboard atop one of the many skyscrapers. The Crimson Rider looked up towards where Gamera flew past him to circle around the monstrously large circus tent. This was as close as any of them could go and even at this distance of over a mile, their Armor was showing signs of duress inside their visors.

Rodan placed a hand beside his jaw and pushed. "Yo, Commander, I'm here, but where the hell are you?"

"Right behind you." Rodan snorted and looked behind and below to see Gojira's bike launch itself from the side of the building, landing with a screech of tires and flame. He cut the engine, causing the flames to die instantly and its shaking rumble to die into oblivion. Gojira leapt upwards and landed beside Rodan and glared down at the circus tent. Oh, he HATED magic.

"Was it always this… obvious?" he snarled, glaring at the symbol of the Dead Moon, a symbol he and the other Riders recognized instantly.

"Don't know," spoke Rodan. "Haven't had a desire to come this way. Still don't. You holding up alright Commander?"

Gojira tilted his head slightly and his visor began to glow red before he winced and the light died quickly. "As well as to be expected. Were you and Gamera able to figure out the range of this thing?"

"Seems it extends at least a mile around and half-a-mile up. Afraid me and the turtle won't be of much help in the air support devision."

"Shit. What about your eyes? See anything?"

"Aside from the enemy blatantly mocking us? Nope." Gojira gave a leveled glare before pressing a finger to the radio beside his mouthguard.

"Gamera? Do you see anything?"

"I'm afraid I don't—Wait. I see something. A child is leaving the circus, I don't recall ever seeing her. Rodan, do you recognize her?"

Rodan was already hovering in the air above Gojira, holo-wings flapping, a hand resting on the hilt of his katana. "I see her, it's Rini's friend, Momo I think."

"Well, what she's doing?" came Anguirus' voice over the radio. "Are the girls with her?"

"No I don't, wait… Shit, Gamera are you seeing this?" Rodan's sword was already in hand. Not fair away, also hovering in the air via his own Cast On System. The Emerald Rider was not looking pleased by what he saw.

"It would seem that the Trio has been replaced by a Quartet, Commander Gojira." Gamera said, he lifted himself higher into the air. "I see the girls! They're transforming but—"

"Too late!" Rodan cursed. "What the hell is that wench doing?" Gojira didn't need to ask, Rodan was sending him a visual of what he was seeing. Gojira glared at the small image inside his visor.

--

VesVes held up her Amazon Stone before her as she whipped out a large pool-cue. "Now… let's take a look at your mirror of dreams!" She pulled back on the cue and smirked. "_Colliding Ball!_"

Momo shrieked and ducked low back the ball richocheted to and fro until, ultimately, it colliding hard into her back, pushing out her Dream Mirror. It spun in place, glowing brightly, before settling itself to be nothing more than an ordinary mirror of dreams. The Amazonesses sighed in disappointment.

"It's not the Golden Mirror…" muttered VesVes.

"What a letdown." CereCere sighed.

"That old hag Zirconia… She gave us a half-baked idea…" grumbled JunJun.

--

"Well, that's a new way of doing it…" muttered Anguirus.

"Why aren't they looking into the mirror?" asked Gamera. "Isn't that how they know if Pegasus is inside someone?"

"Oh gods," Gojira palmed his face. "We really need to talk to the girls about fighting first and putting the speeches on hold."

"Hold on…" As the Sailor Scouts did their introduction below, Rodan played back few seconds of video he had captured of the Amazoness Quartet. "Gol…den… meray? No, idiot, golden mirror!"

"Golden Mirror?" Anguirus said in surprise. "Does that mean that the mirror their looking for is made of gold?"

"No, fool!" snapped Rodan. "It's probably colored gold! Remember the unicorn's horn? It probably effects the dreamer's mirror as well."

"Well…" Gojira smiled behind his mask. While the process still seemed painful, the Black Rider could see that the Quartet had no desire to stick their heads in other people's dreams. "That makes things a bit easier doesn't it?"

--

"I see, so you're the Sailor Scouts that the old hag Zirconia was talking about. Where are those Rider friends of yours, eh?" asked JunJun.

"I'm glad that we were able to meet you!" CereCere smiled insincerely.

"But I'm not that happy about it…" whined PallaPalla.

"You're an honest girl." CereCere sighed.

"It's nice of you to come out, but we won't let you or your Rider friends get in our way…" VesVes waved her pool-cue quickly, turning it into a long, beast-tamer's whip. "Because my beast is rather hungry right now."

"Rather hungry…?" asked Sailor Moon, not liking the sound of that at all.

"Come here, my Remless!" The red Amazoness lashed her shadow with her whip and watched as it stretched out, a pair of snake eyes and mouth appearing on its black surface. "Garagara-musume, the dream-eating snake!" The shadow twisted and turned before bursting apart like shed skin, revealing a Remless that was more of a beast than a humanoid. Garagara's upperbody was that of a human girl, for the most part, but her entire lower torso was made up of the body of a monstrously large red python. Her shirt stretched forward, revealing itself to be the head of the snake body that her humanoid body was attached to.

"Garagara-musume!" She stretched out her right arm, the snake's head bursting from her torso and waving its tongue to match the motions of her arm.

--

"What the hell is that thing?!" exclaimed Gojira.

"That's… no circus performer…" Anguirus swallowed loudly over the radio, trying to hold back the urge to hurl. That Remless… it was like Kushinada both in her human-self and her… monster-side.

"Could that be…" Gamera knew it couldn't be her, she died years ago… but… the resemblance…

"Manda?" murmured Rodan. Gojira glared up at the flying Rider.

"Manda is DEAD. Whatever that thing is, it isn't her. Got it?!"

--

"A dream of dreams that dreaming children have…" murmured JunJun.

"Garagara-musume! Eat them while they're still yummy!" ordered VesVes.

The snake Remless soared highed into the air, coils twisting, before launching back down and swallowing Momo's Dream Mirror in one big gulp. Garagara's snake head hissed in pleasure while her human half dabbed her mouth gently with a napkin. "Thanks for the meal!"

--

"Oh, no it didn't…" Gojira's visor was practically on fire, a sentiment that was shared with his fellow Riders. However, what happened next gave them pause.

--

"How dare you…" Mini-Moon raced forward, much to the surprise of the other Scouts. Garagara hissed loudly and, much to everyone's surprise, Garagara's included, Mini-Moon jumped up and held the snake-jaws open. "Give me back that Mirror!" The snake Remless began to trash wildly about, trying to dislodge the Scout-in-training.

"What should we do!? If we attack now, Mini-Moon will get hit as well!"

--

"Damn it, of all the times for the girl to get some our tenacity." Gojira cursed. "If we attack now, Mini-Moon will get hit, probably killed!"

"But if we don't do anything, the twerp will become snake-food!" exclaimed Rodan.

"… As soon as Rini gets clear, kill it." The Crimson Rider turned to look down at the Black Rider with incredulous shock.

"Have you lost your mind?! That's—"

"A Remless. A kaijin." Gojira glared up at Rodan. "The resemblance is uncanny, but that's all it is. Kushinada is dead. And this… mockery of her will repaying its disrespects in Hell."

--

"To think that the Dream Mirror of that girl was so important…!" JunJun crossed her arms and shook her head.

"I would rather have you thank us for getting rid of something that was unnecessary." CereCere waved a hand dismissfully at Momo's unmoving body.

"Momo-chan's dreams…" grunted Mini-Moon, reaching a hand down into Garagara's snakey-throat. "…aren't unnecessary things…!" Garagara roared and trashed wildly, this time successfully dislodging the girl out of her mouth. The pink-hair Scout landed hard against the ground.

--

"Now, Rodan! Do it now!" Grinding his teeth together, Rodan raised his sword high.

"_Slicing Hurricane Gale!_" He slashed his Primal Blade in a downward, diagonal stroke, sending a concentrated wave of vacuumed air downwards. The gale moved faster than the human-eye could follow and, before the Amazonesses could even begin to realize that the Scouts weren't alone, the attack struck home. A deep gash split itself along a large portion of Garagara's snakelike body, sending her withering before turning glaring eyes upwards towards where Rodan hovered out of range of normal, more human, eyes.

A flash of blue light drew attention slightly downwards and she hissed a single word before her head was engulfed in a ball of burning atomic fire. It floated gently upon the winds, unheard even by Rodan's sensitive ears.

--

"What the—!?" VesVes turned around and looked up to see… something… hovering in the sky above. "What the heck is that?!"

"Rodan?!" Sailor Venus gasped in shock, recognizing the attack. Why was he hanging back? Where were the other Riders?

"The Kamen Riders?!" JunJun growled. "What a cheap trick! Attacking from behind!" VesVes shrugged indifferently.

"Oh well, it doesn't matter, even without her head, Garagara can still—"

"_Twinkle Yell!_" A sound of bells rang through the air before a golden nimbus of light burst from above, revealing a shining white horse with wings of ivory and a horn of gold.

"That's…" VesVes gasped.

"… Pegasus…?" CereCere stared in wonder at the winged stallion, something that was shared with her sisters. With a flash of his golden horn, Pegasus sent Sailor Moon her Moon KaleidoScope and supplied her with the power to finish the writhing Remless off.

"_Moon Gorgeous… Meditation!_" The naga-like Remless shattered into panes of glass, leaving an untouched Dream Mirror behind to float gently back within its true possessor.

"This isn't good…" VesVes muttered. The four Amazon Stones appeared before their mistresses before flying up towards the sky, past a startled Rodan, and carrying with them the Amazoness Quartet. Rodan and Gamera flew to intercept them, but the orbs with dots on the horizon. Not that it truly mattered anyway. The Kamen Riders knew where their headquarters was now. The only problem was finding a suitable way in.

--

The word, so softly spoken and unheard by every living thing, was being carried. To where, it did not care to know, being nonsentient it had no reason to even be aware of the magnitude its voice could bring. Strangely, it seemed as though the wind itself knew of the importance of the spoken word of recognition, and was positively adamant in carrying it towards where it must go. It flew through the air, dodged pass person and vehicle alike, and slunked its way past doors and windows and down below the underground to where the sound would continue on its own.

_"Kusanagi…"_

It reverberated gently on the open and windless air, moving past glass made to be strong against every manmade force, to an object colored aquarmarine where an etched image of a monstrous serpent could be seen. For a moment, all was still…. Then…

_Bump… ba-ba-bump…_

It was quiet, nearly unheard but it was there.

_Bump… ba-ba-bump…_

It could be seen, perhaps only through microscopic eyes but yes, it could be seen.

It was alive.

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_Shiro:_ I've heard some people say that music is the sound of our hearts beating to a rhythm that our souls help to create. Others say that music is the only true universal language there is. As for my friend Morisato… he says that music is an artist's paintbrush, painting not with inks or oils but with the sounds of life. It's not surprising that his girlfriend, Lady Ami, feels the same.

Symphony of the Sea; Ami's Song of the Heart


	13. Symphony of the Sea

Me: Okay, first off, I'd like to say this about Prince Caspian.

R-O-C-K-S

Bahamut: Should have been a dragon in it...

Mewtwo: That's for next time, remember? Besides, I thought the gryphons were quite well-done.

Bahamut: Griffins.

Mewtwo: ... Gryphons.

Bahamut: GRIFFINS!

Mewtwo: GRYPHONS!

Me: Oh no, not again...

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

Symphony of the Sea; Ami's Song of the Heart

Ami smiled softly to herself as she wrote down the words that came to her through the symphony that played in her laptop. She noticed a leaf float down to land beside her notebook and picked it up, smiling still. This truly was one of the better ways to relax on such a nice summer afternoon.

"Ami!" The bluenette gasped in shock and hastily took off her headphones to address Rini, being extra careful to cover her notebook from the pinkette's eyes.

"Oh, you're early…"

"We're not early…" said Rini. Ami looked over her laptop and saw the rest of the girls sitting on the table watching her in amusement while the trio of of felines sat on the table and gazed upon Ami the way that only cats can do.

"Guys…!" Ami blushed in embarrassment, take about not paying attention…

"What's wrong? You were spaced out…" Luna leaned forward in concern.

"The enemy is showing a new course of action we need you to have a good grip on things." Artemis lectured her gently.

"I'm sorry." Ami blush was not going to be leaving anytime soon.

"By the way Ami…" Serena snatched up Ami's notebook and began to read it, Rini looking over her shoulder. "What's in this notebook?" Ami gasped in shock just as Rei snatched it up from Serena.

"How you're fretting… it's not academics, is it?" Rei smiled.

"Rei!" Ami protested just as Lita snatched the notebook from the priestess.

"I want to keep watching your profile forever…" read Lita.

"It's not that! That's…" Ami protested only to cut herself off.

"That's?" The girls all asked as one, crowding tight around the blushing girl.

"That's…" Ami looked down at her laptop and flushed bright red as the girls crowded closer and began asking more questions.

"Today, we're going to come up with a plan for fighting the new enemy? Are you guys listening" asked Artemis with a sigh.

--

Eiji glared down at the tabletop, his chin resting on the back of his hands. Across from him, Morisato sat with a small frown on his face, a finger idly tracing the scar over his left eye. In the corner of the room, Takuya stood with his arms crossed and his eyes glaring out the window towards the city skyline. Shiro was standing as well, but his eyes were closed as though he were deep in thought.

"That wasn't her." Eiji suddenly spoke, earning the attention of the other Riders. "It was sheer coincidence, nothing else."

"Coincidence, perhaps…" Shiro said. "But wasn't it too much? It had too strong a resemblance to both her human and kaiju self."

"Whatever that Remless was, it's dead." Eiji stated. "There's nothing more to think about."

"What about the circus tent?" asked Morisato. "Shouldn't we tell the girls where our enemy's headquarters is?"

Eiji leveled a deadpan look at his best friend. "Are you kidding? They'd charge in headfirst, without any kind of plan!"

"Like we do?" asked Shiro. Eiji spared him a heated glare.

"Not anymore. The enemy has changed their tactics; they're looking for a specific mirror, one colored gold apparently. If it isn't, they feed the Dream Mirror to their soldiers." Eiji looked at each of his friends in turn. "The rules of engagement have changed. We're no longer alone in this, I'll admit that, but we can't afford to let our enemy have the upper hand any longer. We must find a way to break this hold they have on us so that we, Riders and Scouts together, can stop them.

"Once and for all."

--

Sometimes, Zircon really, truly, honestly, hated its life. Was there some form of higher power out there dead-set on making its existence as horrible as possible?

"Wait for us, Zircon!"

Yes.

Yes there was.

Zircon flew as fast as its little wings could carry it, silently wishing that it was the Riders chasing it instead of these girls. At least the Riders would have killed it and be done with it, but these girls… Zircon screeched to a halt and slowly stared up at JunJun, who had her hands on her hips and a frown on her face.

"Why are you running away!?"

Zircon sweatdropped. Was she kidding? A sudden movement from behind and Zircon knew another one was behind it.

"Yeah! I'll give you a good pat on your head!" Oh great, the crazy blue one. The other three were bad on their own, but this one was worse! Zircon made a hard right and flew faster than before, praying for its master to show up lest it be destroyed. CereCere leapt forward, right beside him.

"It might be rather tasty to fry it sunnyside up!" Oh great, egg jokes! Come on wings, faster!

"I'd…" A sound of a whip through the air, and Zircon knew it was in deep trouble just before VesVes' whip smacked it hard in the iris. Zircon bounced off the ground and into the red Amazoness' hands, eye closed in pain. "Prefer to salt-roast it!" Zircon's eye widened and its wings went into overdrive.

Mommy!

The other three Amazonesses landed beside VesVes and looked at Zircon with smiles on their faces. PallaPalla smiled and gushed, "Oh, how cute!" If its life wasn't in danger, Zircon would have taken that as a compliment. Suddenly, a ball or energy landed at the Quartet's feet before exploding like fireworks.

"You idiots!" Zircon was never any happier to see its mistress, Zirconia. "All you do is mischief. If you have the time for horseplay, hurry up and go find the Golden Mirror!" Zircon landed atop its roost on its mistress' staff and generated a picture of the possible candidate to hold the Dream Mirror. Zirconia didn't even bother looking at it as she threw it at the Quartet. "Here!"

JunJun caught it and quirked an eyebrow. "What's this?"

"The focus is way off!" exclaimed PallaPalla, unable to see any clear image on the photo.

"Did it break from the shock we gave earlier?" asked VesVes.

JunJun waved a hand. "I'm calling it off! I can't figure it out with this!"

Zirconia's eyes twitched. "Enough insolence… Hurry up and go look!" Zirconia blasted a huge orb of dark magic at the Quartet, sending them flying.

Some days, it truly was good to be the right hand, or eye, of the leader.

--

Morisato entered the fruit parlor with a sigh and a crack of the neck. He had spent the better part of the night finishing his work and he was still rather tired. Hopefully, he could get a nice tropical drink before trying to find Ami and the girls.

"So you were up all night writing these song lyrics?" came Mina's voice from where Morisato knew to be the girls' usual table. He smiled and shook his head. Really, it was too easy sometimes. He silently made his way over to the girls.

"I did the best I could by myself… But I'm not confident about it." Ami smiled slightly.

"But it's really wonderful." Lita said, looking up from Ami's notebook.

"I think it's good to stay honest." Rini stated.

"You think so…?" Ami blushed.

"It's useless for you to see, so hurry up and pass it along!" Rei said rather snidely at Serena, who was now holding and trying to read Ami's notebook. Serena's face flushed red with anger and Morisato paused, waiting for the appropriate moment.

"What do you mean by that!?" asked Serena. Rei stuck her nose up in the air.

"Do you think you can give advice to Ami, Serena?"

"This is a question of artistic sense!" exclaimed Serena.

"For you, I think it's more like natural instinct!" Morisato sighed and shook his head as he subtly snatched Ami's notebook from Serena's hands. As the two argued and the girls watched the match, Morisato's eyes read over the lyrics with the speed of one used to not having the leisure of time. He smiled, Ami truly was talented.

"Maybe it is impossible for me…" And there was Ami's lack of self-esteem with friends.

Morisato rolled his eyes but kept reading her notebook as he spoke, "I'd prefer the phrase; possibly impassible as nothing is impossible." He smiled once more at Ami's blush. "I didn't know you knew how to write lyrics Ami. You never cease to amaze me."

"Morisato…!" Ami blushed deeply, refusing to meet the boy's eyes while the girls, minus Serena and Rei who were still arguing, smiled knowingly. An appearance by a familiar small kitten put a halt to the duo's argument.

"Everyone…" Diana gasped for breath, smiling and slightly flushed from running.

"What is it, Diana?" asked Rini.

"An amazing discovery!"

Diana led the group to a classic-styled restaurant, one that Morisato knew he'd try and trick, ahem convince, Ami to accompany him to. Diana pressed them to look through the large window towards the piano player who was just getting started on another melody. Once he started to play, Morisato felt himself begin to smile; this man was truly skilled if he could play with his eyes closed. Suddenly he frowned; this music matched the lyrics that Ami had written… did that mean…

"This song…" Ami whispered beside him.

"It's the same song we heard on your computer." Lita said.

"Then, he's…" Rini said.

"N.T. …?" finished Serena. Morisato quirked an eyebrow, wondering what he had missed. He glanced down at Ami and saw her hand pressed against the glass with a small, almost unnoticeable blush on her face. He drooped slightly, '_So this is what she likes…_'

--

"Can I help you?" asked the pianist. He had just finished his shift at the restaurant and was preparing to leave when he spotted a group of girls, plus one boy, standing as though waiting for him. He couldn't help but notice that the bluenette, looked quite uncomfortable, as though embarrassed about something.

"Well…" Ami looked down at the ground.

"Go for it, Ami!" whispered Mina.

"Um, I… uh…" Ami blushed slightly looking down. Had the mood not been so different, Morisato would have chuckled, finding her attitude quite cute but he was feeling… irritated. He shoved her from behind.

"Do your best, Mizuno." Ami stumbled forward and, trying to maintain her balance, totally missed how Morisato referred to her, not that the other girls missed it. In fact, Lita and Rei were looking at the scarred boy with a questioning look in their eyes before focusing on their meek friend.

"U-Um… I heard that song on the computer network…"

"That song?" asked the pianist in surprise.

"Yes! It was wonderful and I was really touched." Ami's fingers twitched as she kept a grip on her notebook. "I did my best to try writing lyrics for it, but I'm not sure if you'd like it or not…" The pianist stared at her for a moment before suddenly smiling.

"Can it be… that you're Ami?" he asked.

"Huh…?" Ami blushed as he grabbed her hand and spoke excitedly.

"Nice to meet you! My name is Nishino… Toshiyuki Nishino!"

"So you're N.T. …?" she asked.

"Yes… I've seen your name often on the computer network. I always wondered what kind of a person you were. I'm really glad!" The rest of the girls gathered close beside Ami and gave the man a speculative look while Morisato stood behind her, arms folded across his chest and a frown on his face. "Oh, I'm sorry. Well, I was really happy about this, so I… Are these the friends you mentioned? I've heard much about all of you from her."

"Wait a minute, Ami… What kind of rumors are you spreading about us!?" asked the girls in such perfect unison it was almost frightening.

"I-It's a misunderstanding! I just…" Ami started to explain as Toshiyuki looked at the scowling Morisato and smiled.

"Ah, you must be her boyfriend, Morisato was it?" Morisato blinked in surprise and looked at the blushing Ami, who refused to meet his eyes.

"Uh, yeah…" said Morisato, shocked eyes still staring at Ami. Toshiyuki nodded and smiled more broadly.

"Everyone… It's a shame to just stand here and talk. Would all of you like to visit my workplace?"

"Sure!" said Ami, glad for the change in subject.

"We'd love to visit!" exclaimed the girls

"Oh yeah, love to." Morisato spoke without much enthusiasm. He wanted to talk to Ami in private but he knew it would have to wait until later.

--

There are some moments when you reach a sudden comphrensive thought that sets off all kinds of warning bells in your head. Morisato, now Anguirus, really should have gotten a clue the moment Ami had run off claiming her lyrics needed more work. He wasn't blind, he had seen her tears but he didn't follow, not until the girls did and even then, he stayed with them until they heard a scream comng from Toshiyuki's school. He suffered through the girls' intro-speech, silently promising to teach them to attack first, introductions never, and had laughed when their mutual enemy mocked them for it and now… well, now the shit had truly hit the fan to quote a phrase…

"Where in the world is this?!" exclaimed Anguirus. One minute, he was standing beside the Sailor Scouts, minus one Sailor Mercury but plus one Ami Mizuno, who had doubled back for whatever reason she had, and the next, he was here with them in some sort of… His armor finally finished reading the data and Anguirus found out just where he and the Scouts were. "Oh, shit…"

"You're inside a computer." VesVes' voice came from seemingly nowhere, when a large screen appeared before the group of heroes, showing the Amazoness' smiling face. "Peek-a-boo!"

"Let us out!" demanded Sailor Moon.

"You just sit quietly and watch!" said VesVes before turning in her chair to look at her froglike Remless. "Kerokero-musume, time to gobble up all of his dreams!"

"Roger that!" The frog Remless leapt forward to land beside Toshiyuki's unconscious body.

"Stop!" screamed Ami from inside the computer. VesVes typed a command into the computer.

"Shut up!" Lightning arced around the group and Anguirus, slightly immune to its effects thanks to his armor cursed himself ten-times over for not following Ami earlier when she ran away from showing Toshiyuki her lyrics. He could have, at the very least, urged her to transform before running to help the others fight off the new enemy. As Ami fainted beside him, Anguirus roared a beastial sound that shook the world around them before he too succumbed to the darkness.

--

A sound of a water droplet colliding against an unmoving sea.

The sound of leaves moving against the unfelt wind.

The sound of the earth trembling beneath footsteps of an ancient glory.

The sun shone in a brilliant sky, the temperature warm and tropical flora thriving

The sky darkened suddenly and he suddenly felt both angry and afraid, a towering from beside him matching his defensive stance as something flew overhead, screeching in warning as to what was coming.

Thunder shook the earth as lightning ripped through the sky. It was flying on swift wings, drawing ever closer.

Death was coming.

Death!

--

The jewel bedecking Mercury's tiara glowed with the radiance of a planetary power as energy crackled around the Sailor Scout like a battery freshly charged with electricity. '_I feel it! The new melody of water… This harp that echoes within my heart…_' What she wasn't aware of, was the monstrously large form of an ankylosauridae standing not far behind her, bellowing its rage at being caged as it was and lending its strength to that of its potential mate. Sailor Mercury held out her right hand, the symbol of her planet flashing over it as she cried out the name of her new attack.

"_Mercury…_" The symbol melted away into water just short of freezing that morphed itself into the shape of a large harp. "_Aqua Rhapsody!_" As Sailor Mercury played the stringed instrument with the skill of a master, thick streams of water gushed forward with the power of a frozen storm behind them, breaking the hold VesVes' Amazon Stone had upon her and her friends.

The red Amazoness back flipped out of the way, ducking behind the piano as she watched in shock as the Sailor Scouts, and one seriously ticked off Kamen Rider, appeared once more in the real world.

"Someone broke my barrier!? Impossible…!" gasped VesVes.

"Playtime is now over!" exclaimed Sailor Mercury.

"Got that right." Anguirus agreed, brandishing his Ankylo Hammer.

--

The battle was won easily, the Frog Remless having the same strength as her tadpoled state, and Ami had managed to work up the courage to show Toshiyuki the lyrics she had written for some of his songs. She blushed prettily at his praise while Morisato sat back and frowned the entire time, though they was a ghost of a smile whenever Ami laughed.

Now, it was late into the night and Morisato was silently walking beside Ami as he escorted the girl back to her apartment. It was a mutual silence that was both comfortable and not at the same time. One of the two would break and it was a matter of chance that either of them would speak first. The battle had been won, in more ways than one in Morisato's opinion, but there was one more fight needed to be fought.

"I love you."

Let it never be said that Morisato couldn't be as blunt as Takuya.

Ami froze in her tracks, blushing, and stared at the back of Morisato's head in shock, her mouth open to speak but no sound could come save for a surprised squeak.

The scarred boy didn't turn to look at her, instead keeping his face forward as though afraid of what he'd see in Ami's eyes. "I don't expect you to say it back, not now. I wouldn't accept it if you did." He sighed but he was smiling sadly to himself. "You were right in your assumption of me, I was a flirt. To the point that I only cared about a girl's appearance rather than herself. It took the death of not one but two of those girls to get my eyes to see the kind of monster I was. I said the words but I never really meant them… until I met you…

"I don't know what it is about you that makes me feel this way, Ami. I've tried very hard to find out but every reason I discover makes my heart go to you like a moth to a flame. I know we've not had that many dates, that one to the show Cats being our only serious one, but I can't deny what I feel for you any more. There's so much I want to experience, to share with you, but I'm scared. More scared than I've ever been really. There's a question that's been plaguing me for some time and I both fear and want the answer." Morisato slowly turned to face her. "I know where you stand in my life Ami, but where do I stand in yours?"

"Morisato… I…" Ami swallowed and held her notebook tight to her chest. "I've… I've never had a boyfriend before… I've never even had a boy chase after me like you do and I… I'm scared too…" Morisato didn't speak but waited patiently for her to continue. He knew she wouldn't run. "I…" She blushed and looked down at the ground. "I'm afraid of falling in love with you… I'm afraid that I'll be happy with you and then I'll wake up to find this was all just a dream…" Tears were falling down her burning face.

"Ami…"

"I don't want it to be a dream…! I really don't, but I…" Ami sniffled. "I don't know what to do…" She burst into tears, dropping her notebook to the unforgiving ground as she buried her face in her hands, memories of her parents' divorce and the heartbreak she felt replaying her mind only, instead of her mother and father, it was her and Morisato.

The scarred boy didn't hesitate in embracing her, pressing her tight against him. "Don't cry, Ami…" He whispered. "Don't cry… I'm sorry for pushing this on you… please, don't cry…" Ami shook her head and pressed her face tight against Morisato's chest, her throat too choked on tears for her to say the words.

'_I love you, Morisato._'

And slowly, ever so slowly, a string of red began to entwine itself between them.

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_Eiji:_ Father said this, "Never lose sight of what's truly important." Sometimes, it does take such a thing to occur for us to finally open our eyes to the lies we've used to cover ourselves from the pains of truth. Shiro… and Rei… are such two individuals. Shiro lies about his pain; he'd say it was a scratch when it fact he was lucky to still have the limb. Rei, however… Rei lies about something that no one should ever have to lie about. She lies about her dreams.

Burning Fires of Passion; Rei's Snipe to Success!


	14. Burning Fires of Passion

Me: You know, I just realized, I've a whole chapter waiting in the wings that's already complete and done.

Bahamut: So?

Me: So, I want to get this arc over with so I can move on to the good stuff! That, and I promised a certain Knight I'd get the BioMerge System happening soon.

Mewtwo: The Bio-what?

Me: Nothing important... (crosses fingers)

* * *

**DISCLAIMERS: Don't own what's not my own.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

Burning Fires of Passion; Rei's Snipe to Success!

"Well… this is certainly… unexpected, yes?" Eiji asked as he stared at the large crowd gathered before the Hino family shrine. "All of this over a magazine cover?"

"The power of magazines is amazing!" muttered Mina as she and the other girls peered out towards Rei on the otherside of the stone pillar that had been, more or less, converted to their spying spot. Beside them, not even bothering to hide, was Shiro dressed in his usual training garments, arms crossed and a sad look on his face.

"Sunt pueri pueri pueri puerilia tactant." He sighed, shaking his head. Morisato spared a moment to glare at his friend.

"One of these days, Houshi-sama, I'm going to find out just why you say such things in latin and just what they are for that matter."

"Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur." Shiro answered, frown still in place and his eyes never leaving Rei's smiling and blushing face.

'_Why are you doing this Rei…?_'

--

Once the crowds had been satisfied by meeting, and purchasing charms, from the priestess of the suddenly famous Hikawa Shrine, the group managed to actually talk with Rei.

"See you again tomorrow!" Serena giggled sarcastically behind Rei, startling her.

"Oh, guys…"

"What do you mean 'guys'?!" exclaimed Mina. "We saw it, Rei!"

"At Hikawa Shrine," read Ami from the very magazine that Rei had made the front cover of, "the paper charms to fulfill one's love are most popular. Perhaps there's a lot of power inside these charms given out by a beautiful shrine maiden."

"Are they talking about you when they say a beautiful shrine maiden, Rei?" asked Serena, still heavy with the sarcasm. Rei blushed and placed a hand on her cheek.

"Someone from the magazine publisher came by the other day, and wanted to do a report…" She smiled like a Hollywood actress, stars suddenly highlighting her hair. "Well, when people in the know see it, they know, so to say…"

"Were the charms from here that popular?" asked Rini, completely oblivious.

"It's a lie! A lie!" whispered Serena to her young future-daughter.

"Rei, those charms… aren't they usually Shiro's job?" asked Lita, looking at the boy in question who shrugged.

"Usually so, but I seem to only attract girls for the love charms. Can't imagine why." For a moment, Rei's façade dropped to show venmous jealousy before the mask was back on.

"Well, they just asked which one was the most popular and Shiro is right, we've sold a lot more charms since he joined our temple, especially romance charms." She was smiling still, but one could almost feel the frustration in her voice. She smiled, her eyes closed. "They overreacted. But, well, I thought about being the 'mysterious shrine maiden' for a while…" She hopped excitedly on the edge of her toes. "And, if this popularity continues we'd be famous all over the country as Hikawa Shrine, shrine of love… And we'd have more visitors…" She suddenly held up a toy-microphone. "And I might even be able to release a CD!"

"What for?" asked the girls, eyes narrowed in suspicion and more than a few sweatdrops falling down foreheads.

Rei blushed and acted like an embarrassed schoolkid. "Oh, poor, poor little Rei is so troubled!"

"This, is just…" Eiji shook his head while Shiro just sighed sadly.

"My dream is to be a career woman traveling all over the world!" exclaimed Rei. "An international life of success!"

"I thought you said you wanted to be—" Serena started to say when Rei interrupted her.

"That's that, and this is this."

"The world isn't that easy a place!" grumbled Serena.

"Well, it isn't for normal girls like you, Serena." Rei said dismissfully.

"But Rei, you're normal, too!" Serena's face flushed red with anger while Rei's did the same but more from pleased embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, but I have something called BEAUTY that you don't have, Serena!"

"Don't you mean SLEEPY?" Serena made a rude gesture with her eyes, to indicate the bags that showed slightly under Rei's.

"Don't group me together with you! You're tardy every day!" Rei grinded her fist against Serena's head.

"I'm only late three days out of four!" Serena returned with a noogie to the chin.

"And they're off…" Eiji walked beside Lita as they and the girls moved out of the way of the infamous sparring match between two, strong willed ladies. Shiro made as though to break the argument but sighed and, with another shake of his head, followed the group.

"Let's go over there until they're done." Mina muttered, aiming towards the main shrine building when she noticed their path was obstructed by a preteenaged girl.

"Um… excuse me. Where is the mysterious shrine maiden…?" The girls looked over towards the arguing duo with skeptical eyes. Rei did not look beautiful right now to them. As for Eiji and Shiro, they were looking at the girl as though she were something to be wary of. It wasn't hard not to be as the girl wore special contacts that made her eyes look as though she had stars in them. "Um…"

Shiro coughed politely. "And your name is…?"

"Oh… my name is Nanako. I saw the magazine and I wanted to be just like the shrine maiden on it… Mysterious and calm… I want to be just like Rei, who I look up to!" The girls sweatdropped as they looked over towards said shrine maiden who was currently in a raspberry match with Serena when they paused at young Nanako's words.

Rei blushed and took on the role of an embarrassed schoolchild. "Look up to? That troubles me!"

Nanako glanced down at her copy of the magazine, blushing with glee. "Wow, Miss Rei!" She was suddenly right in front of the priestess, Serena pushed slightly to the side. "I want to be a shrine maiden! Let me help!"

"Boy, Rei's turned into an idol… almost makes me jealous…" Lita said, stunned by this. Seeing an opportunity, Eiji took it.

He wrapped an arm around Lita's shoulder and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Well you're my shining star, Darling. Don't ever forget that…" He smiled at her rosy blush and whispered quietly into her ear. "Or my promise to you." He smiled at her embarrassed, yet pleased, grin and focused once more on Rei and Nanako, whom had just been accepted into the fold of priesthood.

"Wow, I'm so happy! I'm thrilled!" She bowed her head. "I hope to do my best!"

Shiro blinked in surprise and frowned slightly but didn't voice any objection. He had no say in the matter to begin with and, honestly, he did not think his opinions mattered anymore to Rei.

Above, unseen and unnoticed by all those below, a winged eyeball was flying away towards its mistress.

--

"Little wenches!" Zirconia slammed her staff down angrily on her podium. "Where are you!?" A small array of sparklers suddenly went off above her, startling her enough to cringe back in surprise of the suddenly light as JunJun swung down to hang upside down before her.

"You doing alright?" she asked, not really meaning it seeing as she stuck her tongue out at the old witch.

The other three swung down from the rafters using but a single rope between them, all four meeting on the center stage in an outright childish manner that served to only agrivate Zirconia. "Stop it! What are you horsing around for!?" she demanded to know.

"We're not horsing around." PallaPalla whined.

"We were just studying new ways to make an appearance!" CereCere explained as though talking to a child.

"They grow tired of the same circus if we perform it every day, so we must do research." VesVes agreed with her elder sister.

"Well, we're different from a patterned old hag that can only appear out of smoke!" JunJun said snidely.

"How conceited!" Zirconia snorted to herself. "All you have to do is to obey my orders!" Zircon flew down, making sure to keep well out of reach, and created a photo of the next target for the Amazoness Quartet. "This is the next target."

"It's just a kid!" exclaimed VesVes.

"Someone like this really has the Golden Mirror?" PallaPalla asked somewhat doubtful of the idea.

"It really is unlikely…" JunJun muttered.

"That's enough!" Zirconia struck her staff upon her podium with a loud crack. "If you have time to make wisecracks, hurry up and go do your job! Find the owner of the Golden Mirror in which Pegasus is living in hiding!"

--

"I'm sorry to have you do the cleaning as well…" Rei apologized to Nanako. It was only the second day and things had turned out just as busy as before, if not even more so and, for once, Rei was thankful for the extra help Nanako provided. Though she had to admit that it was rather odd to see the young red-haired girl wearing a wig that nearly matched her own hair.

"No, I'm happy that I an just be here with you, Miss Rei."

Rei smiled. "Thanks."

"Miss Rei, you're beautiful, mysterious, and elegant… You already have a set future, too… I'm sure you have nothing to worry about right now!" Nanako gushed, heedless of Rei's confusion, and concern.

"Nanako… I'm not sure that I—"

"Miss Rei, you are the ideal shrine maiden!" Nanako blushed and looked down. "I want to be just like you! I'll always be by your side and do everything just like you do!"

"Nanako, listen to me…" Rei blushed as she idly swept some stray leaves.

"I'll do my best, and someday I'll be just like you, Miss Rei… Please let me stay here forever." Nanako suddenly leapt forward, grabbing a fistful of Rei's robes and resting her head against her. "I want to be your little sister, Miss Rei! Can I call you my dear sister?"

Miss Rei's face was currently turning redder than red at the moment, too embarrassed to really answer at the moment. Taking her silence for an affirmative, Nanako suddenly leapt back. "I'll go get the dustpan." She ran off towards the toolshed, leaving a smiling, and blushing Rei Hino behind.

"Dear sister…"

"Personally, I think it's rather cute."

"Eek!" Rei whirled, her broom up and ready to smack when it suddenly was caught in a tight, robotic grip.

"Sorry." Shiro said. "I've been picking up Little Brother's habits too much lately."

"Shiro! Don't sneak up on me like that! And where exactly were you? Nanako and I could have used your help today!" Rei placed her hands on her hips and waited for Shiro's response.

"I beg your pardon Lady Priestess, but I did not want to intrude upon you and your… little sister." Rei blinked in surprise. Shiro had never called her by her title, not since they met and certainly not now when they were dating.

"Shiro? Is something… wrong…?"

"Lady Priestess… Rei… I…" He shook his head and sighed. "I don't know how to say this so it won't hurt but I can't lie… not like you've been."

"What?!" Rei looked shocked and faintly hurt at Shiro's sudden accusation.

"Lady Pri… Miss Hino, there are few things that I cannot stand idly by and take. Liars are one of those things."

"You said you understood, and like you're one to talk! Kamen Riders ring any bells?"

"There is a fine line between doing what is right and what is easy, Miss Hino. And you're right, I do understand, my situation being on par with your own, but you don't understand just what I'm trying to say."

"Oh? And what are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say, Miss Hino, is that I can love a priestess, a defender of love and justice, even a princess from a planet whose civilization has long since been dead and forgotten by most, but I cannot love a liar."

Rei's broomstick dropped from her hand as she stared in open-mouthed surprise at the emerald haired boy who refused to meet her eyes. The silence stretched on for some time, neither speaking, when Serena and Rini quickly ran up to them.

"Guys! Guys, we gotta talk! …" Serena suddenly became aware of the tenseness in the air. "Is something wrong?"

Shiro looked at Rei and, seeing her lack of responding, shook his head. "No, Princess. Let's talk."

--

"WHAT?!" Rei had honestly thought nothing short of Shiro outright saying he was dumping her would shake her out of her stupor but, obviously, she failed to consider the level of what Serena had to tell her and the girls, plus Shiro who remained silently sitting in the corner of her room, staring at a picture that she couldn't see thanks to his big, fat, stupid head blocking it! 'Calm down… and focus on the task at hand…' Rei mentally sighed.

"I'm telling you," said Serena, oblivious to the inner turmoil that Rei, and Shiro, were going through. "Nanako said that you were going to be a shrine maiden, Rei, so that you're going to be single all your life!" Rei winced slightly at that. '_Talk about hitting the nail on the head…or is it two fish in a barrel…?_'

"You've got to be kidding!" Fake it, Rei! Fake it! "Why do I have to do that!?" It was the remaining single part that really got to her.

"Perhaps from the impression that a shrine maiden sacrifices her life towards her god?" suggested Ami, who missed Shiro's quiet snort.

"That's a good point." Lita said.

"But, concerning Rei of all people… you know she and Shiro are together, so they're bound to get married sooner or later."

Rei and Shiro both winced and refused to look at each other, much to the girls' confusion. "I… guess… I only wanted to encourage her own dream, that's all…"

"But, Nanako said she doesn't have a dream." Rini spoke up, childishly unaware of the tension that the other girls were becoming more aware of.

"She doesn't have a dream?" Rei asked, surprised.

"Yeah." Rini nodded. "Because she doesn't have a dream, she wants to spend her life in a shrine…"

"Isn't Nanako's dream to become a shrine maiden!?" Rei sounded faintly offended.

"Nope." Serena said. "She said she didn't want to keep chasing after dreams that won't come true, and lvie a peaceful life."

"That's a completely different story!" Rei exclaimed. "Because Nanako had said that she wanted to become a shrine maiden I had thought that this little misunderstanding would be all right."

"Misunderstanding?" asked Serena.

"But I was mistaken… Nanako isn't looking up to me! She's looking to the shrine as a place to run away from pursuing her dreams! But it's so insulting to say that she wants to become a shrine maiden because she has no dreams!" During her tirade, Shiro slowly turned to look at her when his eyes caught a shadow of someone standing behind the screen-door. He frowned as his pupils elongated into slits before his eyes gained a molten glow. "The job of a shrine maiden is to provide others with dreams! Just because she doesn't have a dream of her own…? A shrine maiden like that…"

"Rei, don't!" exclaimed Shiro.

"Is someone I don't need!" finished Rei, glaring at the boy who shook his head sadly as Nanako dropped the bowl of candies she had brought for Rei and her guests.

"I-I… I'm sorry, I just…" She pulled the wig off her head and stared down at it. "I just wanted to be like my dear sister Rei…" Tears filled her eyes as she clutched the wig tight. "Just like you… I'm sorry." She threw the wig down and took off running, ignoring the calls of the girls behind her.

"Rei!" exclaimed Mina, looking at the one that Nanako looked up to the most.

"You have to go after her!" said Lita.

"It's no use to chase her down…" whispered Rei. The other girls silently decided to at least try and ran out the door to try and track the girl down while Shiro himself remained behind with Rei.

He stood slowly and walked up to the door leading to the temple grounds and stopped beside Rei, who kept her eyes on the floor. "Nanako may be wrong in giving up on her dreams, but at the very least, she is right about not denying them."

--

VesVes should have really known better to have trusted Zircon. The eyeball was wrong one-hundred percent of the time, so what would make this time any different? And she really should have expected otherwise seeing as this girl said that she had no dreams. Why would Pegasus hide in such a wimp as this Nanako kid was anyone's guess. And, just like clockwork, the Sailor Scouts had arrived with their usual speech, minus the red one that, personally, VesVes actually liked.

"This is no place for you! Come here, my Remless!" VesVes lashed her whip onto her shadow. "Dream-eating monkey, Manemane-musume!" A pair of lips and eyes appeared on the stretched shadow before it bounced upwards into the air to reveal a humanoid monkey-girl whose green shirt looked rather odd with her artist's cap.

"Here I am! Manemane!"

"Manemane-musume! Get rid of all of them!" ordered VesVes, glaring at the Sailor Scouts.

The monkey Remless matched her pose perfectly, using her long, prehensile tail to mimic her mistress' ponytail. "Mane! Get rid of all of them!"

VesVes blinked and looked over her shoulder towards Manemane. "Come on! Stop mimicking me! Hurry up and get them!"

Manemane blinked and looked over her shoulder. "Mane! Stop mimicking me! Hurry up and get them!"

The Scouts took a battle stance and the monkey Remless decided she had enough fun and charged straight towards them.

"Here I go!" Venus held her arm up high. "_Venus… Love-Chain Encircle!_"

The golden chain wrapped tight around Manemane, who broke it apart with ease, pulling down her hat before lifting it up to reveal her face matched Sailor Venus' own! "Manemane! Venus!"

"What!?" Venus gaped in shock.

"You're kidding me!" exclaimed Jupiter.

"_Manemane… Love-Chain Encircle!_" Manemane-Venus matched Sailor Venus' attack perfectly forcing the girls to dodge out of the way

"_Sparkling Wide Pressure!_" Sailor Jupiter hurled a concentrated orb of lightning at the Remless, who cancelled the attack out by changing her face to that of Jupiter's!

"Jupiter!?" Mini-Moon pointed dramatically at the Remless.

"They look exactly alike…" murmured Mercury, the Moon Duo nodding in agreement much to the real Jupiter's chargrin.

"_Mane Sparkling Wide Pressure!_" Manemane-Jupiter hurled Sailor Jupiter's attack right back at the Sailor Scouts, sending them running once more.

"ManeMane, a reward for you." VesVes called from where she sat above the action atop her suddenly enlarged Amazon Ball. "Here… You can eat that girl's Dream Mirror."

Manemane cackled with glee, leaping over and swallowing Nanako's Mirror of Dreams whole before lifting her face up to reveal she had now copied Nanako, down to her very voice! "I have dreams, too!"

"Nanako!?"

"I want to find a wonderful boyfriend! I want to do lots of meaningful work, and travel all over the world! My dream is an international life of success!"

Shiro stepped up beside Rei, both of whom had been alerted of the scene thanks to Diana. Inside, he wanted to tear that Remless apart for mocking the poor child and eating her dreams, but he knew that she, and Rei, both needed this to be said. "Sound familiar?" he asked.

"Nanako…" whispered Rei.

"But no… I'm too weak-willed…" Manemane-Nanako twisted in embarrassment. "I'm scared. I hate myself like this. I wanted to be someone else." Neither Rei or Shiro missed the tears appearing in the real Nanako's eyes. "I thought that I wouldn't have any doubts if I could be just like my dear sister Rei. I thought that I could become a new me!"

"Nanako…"

Shiro remained silent, though his robotic hand was clenching tightly.

"Please… stop…"

That did it.

"Mars Crystal Power!"

"Execute! Kaiju-Spirit Evolution!"

--

"Come on, that's enough…!" VesVes was getting tired of Manemane's fun, she wanted to see some action!

"Hold it right there!" Kamen Rider Gamera and Sailor Mars stood side-by-side, glaring at the dastardly duo that was VesVes and her Remless.

"Stomping upon a maiden's dreams!" growled Gamera.

"You mimic like a monkey!" Mars glared. "In the name of Mars."

"In the name of Justice." Gamera spoke.

"We'll torture you!" They swore together.

"Don't sprout up later than everyone else and try to look cool…" VesVes sighed, bored with the two of them already. "Manemane!"

The monkey Remless already possessed Mar's face. "We'll torture you!" She crowed.

"Don't you dare mimic her!" Gamera charged forward, ducking low as he aimed his Terra Blaster at Manemane-Mars, who bounced away from his "_Flamming Barrage!_" to try and mimic it herself but found that she couldn't, her face returning to normal.

"That really irks me… Nanako, watch me! Nothing good comes out of mimicking other people! What's important is being yourself! All girls have the power to make their dreams come true! What's important is wanting to do it!" Sailor Mars rushed forward and, using Gamera's back as a launching pad, jumped high into the air.

"Mars…" The symbol of Mars burned bright before Rei's right hand before it burst into flames that stretched itself out into the form of a long bow. "Flame…" An arrow composed of molten fire appeared in her hands. "Sniper!"

She let it fly.

It pierced straight through the stunned Remless, setting her aflame. Mars looked back towards Gamera. "Now, finish her off!"

"My pleasure!" He reached down and turned his K-Zector. "Cast-On!"

"CAST-ON!" With a burst of neon light, Gamera was now adorned with a green hologram of a turtle-shell and his arms were like that of what a turtles would be if it suddenly became a biped.

"CHANGE ANTEDILUVIAN ARMA!"

The Emerald Rider crossed his arms over his chest and concentrated his energy into the blades that made up the outerside of his arms. With a burst of plasma-energy, Gamera launched himself forward and uncrossed his arms in an X-shaped motion. "_Gaia Slicer!_"

Manemane's head went flying, it and her body breaking into shards of glasslike shadow, leaving Nanako's Dream Mirror whole and untouched.

--

Shiro walked slowly up the temple stairs, dressed outside his usual priest-in-training attire. Aside from the fact that it was rather late, Shiro didn't really expect that he'd be welcomed back come tomorrow morning. He heard the sound of the broom sweeping stray leaves before his eyes fell upon Rei, still dressed in her miko attire.

"Hello Shiro." The boy blinked in surprise. She had heard him?

"How did you know it was I and not an enemy, Lady Rei?" he asked.

"The girls would have called ahead of time and what business do the other guys have here with me besides you? And I already had my Dream Mirror seen by the enemy Shiro, it's not what they want."

Shiro sighed but accepted her answer. "Lady Rei… we need to talk…"

"What's there to talk about?" she asked, her back still facing him as she swept the same spot. "We broke up, nothing else really needs to be said."

"Broke up?" Shiro asked. "I don't…… If that is what you wish…"

"What?" Rei turned to face him, frowning in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"If you want us to break up, I will follow your desire, Lady Hino." Shiro stated as calmly as he could.

"What are you talking about, you broke up with me!"

"I did no such thing," denied Shiro.

"You called me a liar and said you couldn't love a liar!" yelled Rei, stomping up to Shiro to get right in his face. "That pretty much says you're breaking up with me!"

"I did not mean that! Well, not all of that…! Of course I love you Lady Rei, I was just trying to figure out what it was you were lying to me about!" Shiro was now quite frazzled with the girl.

"I wasn't lying about anything!" denied Rei.

"Yes you are. Every time someone talks about dreams, you suddenly go boasting about your's and your aura dims down, which means you're lying." Shiro nodded matter-of-factly while Rei flushed with anger.

"You cheat! You can't use your powers to find out my secrets!"

"I don't." Shiro was suddenly calm, his arms crossed over his chest. "You just answered my suspicion for me, Rei."

"… Oh, you cheater…" Rei grumbled under her breath, turning her back on the boy.

"Lady Rei, please, what has been troubling you so? Why do you tell me that you want to be the priestess of this temple and the girls that you want to be a career woman? Do you think they'd judge you based on your dreams? … That I…?"

"No, of course not Shiro… I just…" Rei sighed. "I honestly don't know what I want to be… a part of me wants to be here, serving as this shrine's miko but another part of me wants to go out and see the world, to try new things and experiences."

"And you don't know what dream to call your own." Shiro nodded in understanding. "Lady Rei, do you know what Eiji would said if you asked him what his dream is?"

"To marry Lita I guess," she said, smiling slightly at the memory of Lita's embarrassment once Mina found out about the promise ring Eiji had given her.

"Here, more than likely, but in our world he would have only one true dream. To die and join with the family he lost. It was a dream most of us shared really…" Rei gasped and turned to look at Shiro's downcast eyes though he was smiling. "Why do you think we lost our temper so whenever the Amazon Trio invaded people's dreams, especially your own? To us, dreams were all that we had. Dreams allowed us to remember a better past, and imagine a wonderful future. The idea that anyone could, and would, spoil that was completely unforgiveable to us."

"Shiro……?" Rei whispered. "What is your dream?"

"Honestly? I've no idea…" Shiro chuckled but it sounded empty, false, "I've just recently been allowed to dream and I see dreams differently than most… I see dreams as… a goal in the waiting. I don't dream of being, I dream of being things that I know I can't be and do my best to make them true. I believe it was a man named Walt who coined the phrase, "A dream is a wish your heart makes" yes? You don't have to tell me what your dreams are Rei, just let me help you make them come true…" He looked at her and smiled softly. "You know, there is one dream I can tell you about. I dream of being by your side… maybe with a few little ones of our own, eh?… That is… if you want me to be yours."

Rei smiled and wrapped her arms tight around the boy, a few stray tears falling down her face. "I love you, Shiro…" She reached up and stroked the arm that was missing a great portion of itself. "All of you…"

Shiro stiffened slightly at her caress but relaxed and held her close with his real arm while keeping his mechanical one loose on her back. "And I love you, Rei… forever and always…"

--

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_Morisato:_ Aniki and Tak-kun are as opposite as friends can be, their girls being no different. Sometimes, I wonder how the two of them can work together as well as they do without killing each other. As for Lita and Mina, those two have a kind of friendship that's almost scarily familiar… Eh? Another Remless attack? Who's the victim this time? What!? Aniki…! Tak-kun…! Somebody… anybody… HELP!

Thunderstrike of Love's Light; Eiji and Takuya's Windows of Dreams?

* * *

Author's Notes:

I've always thought it odd how Rei's character in the anime was so different from her original self in the manga. I've tried to make her a decent blend of the two but I can't really do that without creating a whole new character entirely for her and I am basing this more in the anime world, if that wasn't already obvious. As for Gamera's 'new attack'... it isn't actually that new. As Gamera, and Rodan, has previously demonstrated, the Kamen Riders have two attacks, one that can be used outside of the Cast-On System, though it is stronger when it's activated, and a second attack that relies on the holograms provided by the COS.

For those of you that don't want to go back and look up these attacks, they are as follows:

GOJIRA

Atomic Fire -- Gojira's G-Force Cannon fires a machine-gunlike fire of atomic fireballs. On par with MegaMan's buster cannon.

Atomic Beam -- A laserbeam composed of highly concentrated nuclear energy. COS required attack.

ANGUIRUS

Ancient Strike -- Anguirus uses the Ankylo Hammer as a sledgehammer or baseball bat, as the situation requires. Is on par with a "Rider Kick".

Spinball Assault -- Anguirus curls into a ball and acts like a spiked bowling ball that can richochet like a pinbal. COS required attack.

RODAN

Sonic Winding Slash -- Rodan uses his Primal Blade as a battoujutsu strike-a slash attack that is too fast to be seen. Power is increased tenfold with COS active.

Slicing Hurricane Gale -- An energy wave of vacuumed air that can slice through steel like a hot knife through butter. COS required attack.

GAMERA

Flaming Barrage -- Gamera uses his Terra Blaster to fire a machine-gunlike fire of plasma fireballs. Slightly stronger than Gojira's Atomic Fire attack.

Gaia Slicer -- Using his arms, Gamera creates an X-shaped energy wave capable of tearing flesh but leaving inorganic material, such as steel or clothes, untouched. COS required attack.


	15. Thunderstrike of Love’s Light

Me: Yo, got to take a moment here to thank my chrome-armored friend for alerting me of the missing portions of chapter XIII. You (re)watch these episodes as often as I've been doing, and you tend to forget which is written and not written in your own works. I place the blame entirely on myself.

Bahamut: Uh, Corvus.

Me: Yes?

Bahamut: What chapter did you say?

Me: XIII, why? ... Oh... oh. Oh! I take it back, I blame it all on Luck!

Mewtwo: Oh please, 13 is not an evil number you two... especially when it comes to chapters in a story!

Me: Says the pokemon who has enough good luck charms to make up a cereal box!

Mewtwo: I told you, they're gifts from a friend! I didn't ask for them!

Bahamut: CoughLiarCough...

* * *

**DISCLAIMERS: Don't own what's not my own.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

Thunderstrike of Love's Light; Eiji and Takuya's Windows of Dreams?

There was something about the wind. He never really knew just what it was about it, just that it was something to fear and praise all at once. It was a type of natural force that could not be easily explained or defined. It could never bend to any sort of will and it'd howl like the wild wolves when given the chance. It could be as soft as a lover's caress or be as fierce as a cornered predator, hurt and injured yes but not willing to back down in the slightest.

Here, at the top of Tokyo Tower, the wind blew with a sense of familiarity to him, as though it knew who, or rather what, he was and knew better than to try and push him from his roost. In his old world, he'd often find the tallest of towers and gaze upon the broken land that was his home, trying to find some sense of life amongst the death, some form of organic growth instead of crystalline rock, but here… here there was life abound and though it was not the first time he'd come up to top of this tower, he would smile and thank the four winds for his second chance in this new world.

True, there were many left buried in the old world, and some that had been buried here in this one, but though he was loathe to admit it freely, Takuya Yashima was starting to become fond of these new people in his life, especially a certain ribbon-wearing blonde by the name of Mina Aino.

Kusanagi's complaints of his tardiness, he could handle, but those puppy-dog eyes of Mina's… Takuya sighed, if he didn't know better, he'd swear he was getting soft.

Takuya, or Rodan as the case truly was, crossed his arms and fell back into the open air with practiced ease, his holo-wings spreading wide as he corkscrewed downwards before gliding up on a thermal of air. The thundercrash of the sound barrier being broken was the only signal of his sudden disappearance from sight.

--

The sea was ancient, a primordial force that's only elder was the rocks that defined its boundaries, its depth, its very essence of life. No one can say just how the sea came into existence, only that life could never have begun without it for all life came from the sea. Some, came to make the land their domain and others the sky became the sea they swam through. A few, a precious few, knew of the power of the sea and returned to it, adapting once more to its power and influence upon them.

He was not one of those few and yet, in a way, he was.

In a dying world with no hope for salvation, constantly fighting a war that was already lost, his only salvation came from the sea, the one place the Crystal Incursion left untouched. It was… a safehouse, a refuge for tired souls and the dead. Many of their old headquarters were located amongst the depths of the sea, in cities that once towered into the sky. He'd frequently dive into the depths to find some form of salvation for his spirit, to escape from the constant feeling of loss, the knowledge that every death of a comrade-in-arms was somehow a fault of his skills as leader of their band.

There was only one other of their group that knew of the sea as he did, and, for a time, he truly did love her for it. Oh no, it was not the love between man and woman. No, it was a love that came from a mutual understanding of a force greater than themselves, of something that was born long before life existed and would continue onwards through time long after life perished. Seeing that mockery of her in the form of a Remless of all things… it angered him greatly. She died, using that sacred power of the sea, using all of her strength, all of her power, to create a tsunami that had the strength to level an entire city.

Tokyo might have fallen that day, but it fell out of enemy hands at the very least.

Her brothers… never truly forgave him for her death… They'd never say it outright, but he could see it in their eyes. They didn't understand her as he did, nor could they comprehend her love for the sea, a love that wasn't shared by either of them. One was a son of the sky and the other the land so no, they couldn't, they wouldn't understand. The sky could bleed and the land could crumble to dust in a forgotten wind but the sea… the sea was eternal.

Time, however, was not and Eiji Kusanagi was running out of it. If he wanted to make it to his date at the fruit parlor, he'd have to cut his little retreat short. He took one last lungful of the salty air, eyes closed as he envisioned the waves that crashed against the sand before him. He turned and slowly walked away sad yet happy at the same time. He was leaving the sea once more, but he was going to someone who was more sacred to him than the great body of water behind him and, besides, even with the enemy getting more desperate, the sea would remain waiting for him.

Like always…

--

Eiji and Morisato were the best of friends, sharing a mutual respect that came from the skills that defined them and made them stronger or weaker compared to the other. Morisato was by know means the strongest of them, relying purely on his defensive might in a serious fight. In any fight, real or a simple spar between them, Eiji was always the victor, his tenacity overcoming Morisato's so-called limitless defense. In a world fighting for survival, Morisato was cocky, too cocky, and it nearly cost him everything he had. Everyone had given up on him, everyone but Eiji, who strived to the very edges of Hell to bring Morisato back, and bring him back he did. He still has the scar, but Morisato didn't blame Eiji for it. To Morisato, Eiji was Aniki, his boss, but more than, Eiji was his brother in arms.

Eiji and Shiro were family in every sense of the word though they were not connected in blood. Being the oldest, and sometimes the wisest, of the two, Shiro took the big-brother side of their relationship with ease though Eiji committed his father's words to memory with greater ease than Shiro and his ancient Latin proverbs. They were connected through the bonds they had shared with one very special person in their hearts. To Eiji, she was his sister, the last of his blood, to Shiro, she was everything his soul ever craved in another. With her death, a part of themselves died with her but here, in this new world, they found strength not only with each other, but the two girls close to their hearts. To Shiro, Eiji was Little Brother, though they shared not the same blood.

Takuya and Morisato were near exact opposites when it came to women. While Morisato was a bit of a flirt, less so now than before, Takuya was a woman-hater to the edge of violence. He made very few exceptions to this rule, girls being under the teenaged category were treated as pests instead of vermin. While Morisato understand Takuya's lack of trust in the opposite gender, he could not understand why the boy was so deadest on being alone and so tried his best to keep his attention by any means he could, annoying the ponytailed boy to the point that they'd often call each other names though they never truly meant any of them. To Morisato, Takuya was his friend.

Takuya and Shiro never got along and virtually ignored the other's existence. Takuya was far too rude for Shiro's tastes and likewise, Shiro was too kind and polite, to women, for Takuya. The few times the two ever truly interacted with one other outside of sparring and fighting as Riders, was during the rare moments of peace when they'd think back over the few similarities they shared, which was primarily their ability to soar through the sky as Kamen Riders Rodan and Gamera. Outside of those rare moments, the two were as familiar as complete strangers to one another. To Shiro, Takuya was an ally. Sometimes unwanted, but glad to have.

Eiji and Takuya… never truly get along, at least for lengthy periods of time. To be fair, the two were one of the best students their sensei, Shiisa Miyrabi, ever had and they both knew it. When it came to open-handed combat, Eiji was clearly the master but when it came to swords, it was Takuya who held that rank. When you wanted power, you would have to go with Eiji, but if you wanted speed it would have to be Takuya. The two sparred often, more so than necessary one could say, and Eiji often dominated Takuya for their sparring was a mix between their styles of combat and while Takuya was unrivaled with a sword, Eiji was unrivaled period.

Personality wise, the two were as opposite as white and black, and did not blend as nicely. In a fight, you could count on them to push their feelings for each other aside, years of fighting a losing war can do that to a soldier, but once outside… The two would either solve their issues by sparring out their frustration for each other, leaving their apologies unspoken, or let their frustration grow to a point where it would be near cataclysmic in the results. On their best days, Eiji and Takuya were friendly rivals but on their worst…

Their were enemies.

Today, would turn out to be one of those days.

--

"You missed on purpose." Takuya, who was in the middle of drinking some water paused and slowly set the glass down to glare at his commanding officer.

"I. Don't. Miss."

"Then why didn't that Snake Remless die from your attack?" Eiji questioned. "I've been going over the data of the Remless we fought against when I realized it. You purposely missed in your attack. You should have at least beheaded the damn thing not give it a small scratch." Eiji leveled a neautral glare at the slightly taller boy.

"Why did you miss?"

"I, didn't, miss." Takuya growled. "I hit exactly what I wanted to hit."

"In that case, you're getting sloppy in your assumptions of what constitutes as a weakpoint." Eiji snapped. "You let your past feelings get involved in your judgment and acted unaccordingly!"

"I? I wasn't the one who issued the command was I? If anyone here is letting their feelings get involved, it's you!" exclaimed Takuya, pointing a accustatory finger at Eiji, who slapped the hand away from his face.

"What, pray tell, do you mean by that?"

"Just because your damn woman got her Dream Mirror—"

"DO NOT INSULT HER!" Eiji roared, slamming a fist down on the table. "Gods damn it, Takuya. It's been three years, get over Ritsuko and grow up!"

Takuya stiffened, paling and flushing with anger all at once. "Don't you speak of her to me. Don't you dare, Kusanagi!" He rose and stomped angrily towards the door. "I'm going out, don't bother me unless it's an attack."

SLAM.

"… sigh…" Eiji placed a hand over his eyes. "Father said this, 'Choose reason over rage. Violence is not the answer.' Somehow, I doubt he included Takuya in that…"

--

"Damned Kusanagi… what does he know… damn Remless… never around when you need to kill something…" Takuya was grumbling to himself as he walked the streets of Juuban, earning many strange looks from the passerby which were otherwise ignored in favor of continuing his muttered ranting when someone suddenly called his name.

"Takuya!" The ponytailed boy paused and turned with his perpetual scowl in place to see Mina running up to him, smiling a million-dollar grin. "I didn't know you liked shopping!"

"What?" Takuya blinked in surprise before looking around and mentally cursing his stupidity. He was deep in the center of one of Juuban's most extensive shopping districts and with Mina here… somehow, Takuya just knew that his wallet would feel remarkably empty by the time he got out of there. "I guess…"

"Do you…" Mina suddenly flushed and looked remarkably shy. "Do you want to hang out?"

"I…" Takuya sighed, still angry with Eiji. He didn't want to upset Mina but damn it, he was in a bad mood! "I'm not in the mood for it right now."

"Oh…" Mina looked down, disappointed with his answer.

"I'll take you up on that offer later, kiddo." Takuya started walking away but paused. "… Tonight good enough for ya? At the entrance of park?"

Mina blinked in shock before her smile returned with a vengeance. "Yes! It's sounds perfect!"

Takuya shook his head, glad that his back was to the girl lest she see his own smile, and continued walking.

--

"Are you alright Eiji?" Lita leaned forward on the table. "You look like you got a lot on your mind…"

Eiji sighed and shook his head, his headache still there from earlier. "Just another funfilled morning of dealing with Takuya's attitude. Otherwise, I'm fine Lita." Lita's eyes narrowed and she huffed.

"I don't get how you and that guy are friends with his attitude. You two are nothing alike." Obviously, Lita was still angry at the taller boy for having hurt Mina's feelings back when her, admittedly foolish, plan of getting Takuya jealous backfired on her.

"Sometimes, I wonder the same," muttered Eiji. "But his attitude, while it leaves something to be desired, is understandable Lita. It is one thing to be betrayed by an ally, it's something else entirely when it's someone you love."

Whatever response Lita had to that was cut off as an exuberant yell of, "DATE! DATE! DATE! I GOT A DATE!" And with a twirl in her step, Mina arrived on the scene and sat down beside Lita. "I've finally got a date!"

"That's… nice…" Lita thought to herself, '_So why are you interrupting mine?_' "With who?"

"Takuya, of course!" Mina grinned.

"What?! Really?" Lita's eyes were wide with shock but Eiji's were narrowed in suspicion.

"Mina, is that what you called it or what Takuya called it?" At her confused look, he reiterated. "I mean, did he say the word 'date' at all?"

"Well, no, but he said later tonight at the park so it's got to be a date. Oh, a moonlight stroll with my winged knight…" Mina's eyes morphed into hearts while Eiji and Lita both sweatdropped at the sight.

"Mina…" Lita said slowly, cautiously aware of what kind of response she'd receive if she didn't ask the right question. "Just what do you see in Takuya anyway?"

Mina blushed and Eiji hastily stood from his seat. "This conversation is not for me." He kissed Lita on the cheek. "Meet me at the park later, alright?" And with that he was gone, leaving a smirking Mina and a slightly flushed Lita in his wake.

"Moving along well, aren't we?" Mina asked, her smirk growing slightly as Lita's blush darkened.

"You're not here to talk about my relationship, so answer already. What do you see in that jerk?"

"Takuya's not a jerk!" Mina exclaimed. "He's really sweet."

"Sweet? Takuya?" asked Lita. 'Takuya' and 'sweet' were not two words that should be shared in the same sentence unless they were separated by a 'is not' between them.

"He's…" Mina blushed and played with the hem of her skirt. "He's different than other guys, Lita… I know I'm shallow… and I let my eyes guide me more than my heart but when I look at Takuya… I don't see some guy that will dump me for another pretty face. I see a guy that's willing to risk life and limb for me not because he has to, but because he wants to." She looked at Lita, a strangely serious look on her face. "Would you rather I find a boyfriend who knows nothing about the dark? Who could get hurt, or worse, in the dead of night because of it?"

To say that Lita was surprised by Mina being so serious would be an understatement. Despite her surprise, Lita was inwardly pleased that Mina was being so mature about this though she was concerned as well. Mina, despite what she might claim, did not know everything about Takuya. At least, not the important things…

"Mina… I am happy for you, really I am, but you got to promise me that you'll be careful with him. Takuya…" Lita couldn't believe she was defending the boy but the situation did call for it… "Takuya's been hurt before and I don't think he can handle another broken heart."

"What do you mean?"

--

His mood was actually rather good at the moment. He was going out tonight with a girl that he could honestly see himself with, though not without the occasional headache or two involved. Right now, he was going to stop in for a pint of fruit-juice at his, unwillingly admitted, favorite fruit parlor and perhaps, later, he would kick Kusanagi's ass if he was still hung up about that battle with the Snake Remless.

"Takuya's sister was killed by his lover!?" It was hushed, shocked, and spoken so softly that only those with ears like Takuya's could hear it. It made him pause, fist clench tight enough on the door that cracks could be seen forming where his fingers mercilessly crushed the glass. His eyes were wide on his suddenly pale face as they sought out the source of the words even though he already knew who it was that spoke them.

Mina.

And beside her, was Kusanagi's woman. For a brief, almost untimeable moment, Takuya honestly considered the idea of killing the girl but it was gone with the tide of cold hard realization. There was no possible way that she could have known that, not without someone else telling her first. So, for the first time in a long time, Takuya did not lose his infamously short temper. No, he thought and thought properly. At least, as properly as one could when they had their worst memory thrown right in their faces.

"Kusanagi…" he growled. "YOU'RE DEAD!"

--

Eiji sneezed loudly before stopping and blinking surprise. '_Where on earth did that come from?_' With a useless shrug, he continued on with his stroll through the park. Today was one of his rare day-offs from his job and though he wanted to spend most of it with Lita, he knew that she and Mina needed time to have their 'girl-talk' which was why he left them to their own devices and had decided a stroll through the nearby park was in order.

He suddenly stiffened before looking around cautiously. True, his empathic powers were nearly useless now that he was limited to touch alone to sense any kind of emotion, but while he was a Kamen Rider, he was also a martial artist and so was able to sense the rapid approach of a monstrously large amount of killing intent. Eiji suddenly rolled to the side as a leg dropped down where his head was.

"What the-Takuya!" Eiji barked, standing up from his crouch. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"SHUT UP!" Takuya shot forward, fist cocked for a punch to Eiji's face. "I don't want to hear any of your bullshit!"

"Takuya!" Eiji blocked the fist and dodgerolled another kick. "What's gotten into you, you maniac!?"

"You, you damn son-of-a-bitch!" Takuya charged on the offensive, while Eiji maintained his defense. "You told that female of your's about Ritsuko! About Kaoru! About everything! And the god-damned slut couldn't keep her mouth shut about it!"

That did it.

Eiji punched Takuya hard in the face, sending him stagger back but he still remained standing. "Don't call her that." He growled, fists clenched tight. He could take anything Takuya had to say, but not when it concerned Lita.

Takuya spat a glob of blood and glared at Eiji. "Screw her and screw you." He grinned ferally. "Oh should I say fu—"

Eiji roared and charged forward, switching to the offense and pushing the taller boy back. Fists flew and legs slice through the air as blows were exchanged or blocked between the two veteran fighters. Both were blinded with a rage that had been slowly accumulating in them for months and chosen now to finally vent its fury. Neither of them could get a clear advantage over the other. Takuya was faster but whatever blows he landed did little damage that, compared to the blows Eiji was getting in, were taps on the shoulder. Likewise, Eiji, while the stronger of the two, was slower and what blows he got through Takuya's defense, he did his best to make sure they count and count they did.

So immersed in their struggle of supremacy of the other, neither Eiji or Takuya noticed how their battle was slowly drifting more and more towards a populated area of the park which was currently housing one of its famous street shows. However, unlike past performances, this one was not well-liked by any that bothered to stay and watch. The performer had chosen to use a rather unique style of puppetry to tell a story to the young children gathered before her and while her puppets were remarkably well-made and utilized, her story could be summed up in a single word.

Bad.

Still, before the story could even reach its climax, PallaPalla was interrupted by the fighting duo of Eiji and Takuya bursting onto the scene, trading blows and such obscenities that even the blue Amazoness, who was used to JunJun's dirty mouth, had a hard time keeping her blush off her face.

'_Can you even do that with a pole and rope?_' She'd have to ask JunJun later. PallaPalla then became aware that no one was paying attention to her anymore. She huffed and would have gone into a rant at the two fighting boys when she realized the opportunity in front of her. Sure, she wouldn't receive praise for her storytelling but there was always next week. She changed into her Amazoness uniform and held out a pool cue as not just her Amazon Ball, but several dozens of them, appeared in the air before her.

"_Colliding Ball!_" She cried as she hit her Orb, sending it and its copies flying through the air.

Eiji, hearing more than seeing, the attack spared a moment to look before roughly grabbing ahold of Takuya's shirt and tossing the boy over his shoulder just as a Stone impacted heavily into his back.

Takuya cussed loudly before looking up towards Eiji before gaping in open-mouthed shock as the spikey-haired boy dropped to the ground, his Dream Mirror still spinning above him. Takuya's eyes narrowed. "Asshole, don't you dare go noble on me now…" Takuya roughly stood to his feet, his hand dropping to reach his K-Zector when he felt like a cannonball had impacted into his back. As he fell onto his knees, his Dream Mirror twirling above him, Takuya had enough strength to curse the laws of ricochet before succumbing to the sweet darkness of oblivion.

PallaPalla twirled in place. She got all of them! Including the two boys that were rude enough to interrupt her show to boot! She gazed over the Dream Mirrors, frowning at their ordinary colors when her eyes fell upon the two boys and she gaped in shock.

"That's new…"

--

"Oh, this is all your fault Lita!" Mina groused as she looked about for any sign of Takuya or Eiji. "If you hadn't told me…"

"Look, I'm sorry okay, but do you honestly think Takuya would have told you before you did something to hurt his feelings?" asked Lita. She was worried more for Eiji than Takuya. She knew from their sparring matches that Eiji was a tough opponent to beat and she had heard from the girls on how he acted when she had been attacked by the enemy. Eiji and anger didn't mix well and Lita hoped she'd find him before he did, or say, something he'd regret.

"You make it sound so likely that I would!" accused Mina.

"Well, who was the one who thought it was a good idea to go out with two guys at once to make a third one jealous!" Lita shouted before shaking her head. "Look, playing the blame game isn't going to help us find Takuya or Eiji." Mina reluctantly nodded in agreement with the emerald-eyed girl when she suddenly noticed groups of children running past yelling and crying about a mean girl attacking them with… Their eyes wide, the two exchanged looks before racing off towards where the children were running from.

What they saw made them stop dead in their tracks.

The children were gone, their Dream Mirrors safe and sound inside them once more while their attacker, PallaPalla, was sitting in the air with a bowl of popcorn in her hands as she stared at the objects floating above the unconscious, and beaten, forms of Eiji and Takuya.

At first glance, the two girls would have assumed that the boys' mirrors were off on their coloring but that was not the case at all. They were the same size, and nearly the same shape if a bit more angular, but they were not Dream Mirrors. Colored a myriad of colors to make a rainbow proud, what was floating above the two boys were not mirrors of dreams, but Windows of Dreams.

Gone was the reflective glass, replaced by an void where a moving picture, much like a television, was being shown. Lita and Mina, though both immensely curious, looked away quickly. They both knew the feeling of having one's dreams laid bare before someone without any kind of consent and had no desire to do the same to their significant others. It was then that a sort of rage filled their hearts. It wasn't the same rage that held the two boys just minutes ago, no, this was a righteous fury that came from the sight of someone's loved ones lying hurt because they weren't there to help them.

Now, the two were going to do that and more.

"Jupiter Crystal Power!"

"Venus Crystal Power!"

PallaPalla blinked at the lightshow and looked over to see the furious duo of Sailor Venus and Jupiter standing with their arms crossed over their chests as they glared liquid death at the blue Amazoness, who couldn't help but gulp at the sight.

"Put them back!" commanded Sailor Jupiter, for once not going into a introductory speech.

"Or else…" Sailor Venus growled, tiny beams of light shooting out of her tightly clenched hand.

"I don't like being bossed around!" whined PallaPalla, her shadow stretching forward. "PallaPalla's Remless, Peropero the candy doll!" The shadow suddenly gained a pair of catlike eyes and a wide fanged mouth before a large wrapped candy burst out of it. The candy turned to reveal a cute face of a little bunny girl.

"Peropero!" chirped the candy before her face turned purple and became more demonic.

"I'll leave you to take of these girls for me, okies?" PallaPalla giggled before disappearing out of sight via her Amazon Ball.

"Have some candy!" Peropero bounced upwards into the air, shooting out great globs of candyballs at the two Sailor Scouts. Candyballs with eyes and very sharp fangs.

Jupiter crossed her arms over her chest as electricity sparked around her. "_Jupiter Supreme Thunder!_" Lightning shot through the air between the Scouts and demon-candies but, instead of dying, the candies multiplied. "Oh no!"

Peropero watched as the two Scouts were forced to run from her horde before her attention came upon the two Windows of Dreams. "Mmmm, my don't they look scrumptious…" She opened her mouth wide to consume the two when Sailor Venus took notice.

"Don't you touch them!" She held out her right hand as the symbol of Venus flashed brilliantly upon it. "_Venus!_" Lipstick donned her lips as she blew a small kiss, forming a glowing heart of light in her hand. "_Love and Beauty Shock!_" The orb shot through the air, past Peropero's horde of candyballs, and send her soaring into a tree. Sparks of light floated in the attack's wake, falling down upon Takuya's prone form with the gentleness of pixie dust. Takuya twitched slightly and his Window of Dreams began to sink back into his body.

"Ow, that hurt…" Peropero's body melted into that of a bunny-girl. "Hasn't anyone taught you brats it's not nice to hit a lady?" She noticed Takuya's Window was gone and he was beginning to wake. She looked at Eiji's and smiled, licking her lips as she gripped the Window tight in her hands. Jupiter's eyes widened before they narrowed into thin slits.

"Get your dirty hands off my fiancé!" Jupiter held out her right hand, the symbol of her planetary power glowing brightly upon it. "_Jupiter!_" Electricity raced up her arm as oak leaves began to twirl tightly around her. "_Oak Evolution!_" She spun tightly in place as hundreds of oak-leaves shot through the air with enough electrical energy in them to power a city block. The Candy Remless screamed in agony and released Eiji's mirror. One of the few leaves that missed striking her floated down and landed gently upon Eiji's chest.

His eyes opened and with a pained gasp, his Window of Dreams returned inside him. Gasping for air, Eiji looked up and saw Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus standing with a horde of candyballs rapidly approaching them from behind.

"Lita!" he yelled, struggling to his feet as Takuya awoke beside him and saw what was about to happen.

"Mina!" Their hands were already on their K-Zectors.

"Execute! Kaiju-Spirit Evolution!"

"WAKE UP!" The Zectors called.

It was a void devoid of life, form, or function where only two things stood. One was Eiji Kusanagi, his arms spread wide as he roared like a primordial beast, the towering creature behind him reciprocating the call as it burst into beams of light that appeared as pieces of black armor grafted themselves to his form. He fell down through the void and landed on a small pentagon that served as the only means of standing in the dark expanse. He raised his arm upwards and shot a beams of atomic light into the sky, tearing a hole large enough for him to burst out into the primary world. The cocoon of light burst and faded from sight as the Black Rider stood where once a seemingly normal boy had just moments ago.

"GOJIRA!"

Nothing living could stand this darkness for long so it was fortunate that the one living individual had only need be there for a moment's time. Takuya Yashima, his arms spread wide like wings as he screamed like a primordial falcon, the crimson flyer above him reciprocating the call as it burst into beams of light that appeared as pieces of red armor grafted themselves to his form. He fell down through the void and landed on a small pentagon that served as the only means of standing in the dark expanse. He reached through the void and grasped his Primal Blade tight and, with a samurai's battle cry, slashed it down in a diagonal arc that flew through the darkness and sliced its way into the light.

"RODAN!"

Gojira leveled his G-Force Cannon at the girls. "Get down!" They didn't need to be told twice and were already rolling out of the way as Gojira called out the name of his attack. "_Atomic Fire!_" A blue fireball of nuclear power shot through the air and melted the horde of candies into one giant withering mass of goo. Rodan, meanwhile, was facing Peropero.

"You wouldn't hit a lady now would you?" she asked rather sweetly, batting her eyes at him. Rodan's grip on his Primal Blade tightened ever so slightly.

"If there's one thing you ain't, it's a lady. _Sonic Winding Slash!_" Peropero's head went flying before it and her body, along with her melted horde, faded away into shadows. "And that's why I don't like sweets."

"Hrmph. Good enough excuse as any." Gojira muttered beside him. Rodan turned to him and held his sword loosely in his hand. Gojira abliged him with a simple tilt of the head. "So… we good?"

"… Yeah. We're good."

--

"Are you sure you'll be okay, Eiji? That bruise looks really painful…" Lita raised her hand and lightly brushed against the injury and winced at its dark coloring. The two were sitting in Lita's apartment, her bedroom if you wanted to be specific, and Lita herself had just finished bandaging Eiji's hands and was still worried about the injuries he didn't speak of.

"I'll be fine. The girl took us by surprise when we were… arguing earlier. It'll heal by tomorrow morning, no worries." Both Eiji and Takuya had silently agreed to let the girls assume that it was the Amazoness, PallaPalla, who had given them such injuries, even if was a slight wound to their pride. "I've had worse injuries than this Lita," he whispered softly to her.

She looked away, frowning. "I know…" The image of him just lying there, his dreams laid bare, was still playing itself across her mind. With a shaky resolve, she reached up and placed her hand atop his cheek and brought her lips to his. Eiji easily reciprocated but nearly choked when he felt Lita's tongue gently brush against his lips, asking from entry. Slowly, he complied, parting them so he could taste her. He was surprised by how shy and submissive Lita was being as she kissed him for he honestly thought she'd have been battling him for dominance but, instead, she was allowing him control. She moaned softly as he brushed up against her teeth, memorizing the interior of her mouth. Such intimate contact between them had their emotions on high and it was all Eiji could do to keep his powers off.

They continued this for a few minutes longer until the need for air became too great and they parted, gasping for breath. A thin line of saliva connected their mouths before it disappeared, as each of them took great, heaving breaths of air.

"That, was, beautiful…" Lita gasped, blushing and smiling. "Thank you, Eiji…"

Eiji smiled and gently rubbed his nose against her's. "I should be thanking you, sweetheart…" He kissed her nose and chuckled at her annoyed flush. "You were my hero today, after all."

Lita looked down, her eyes drifting over to her bed. Her entire face grew crimson and she played with the bottom of her shirt. "S-So… Ei-Eiji…? Do you…" She was stuttering and Eiji became concerned. She never was this shy with him, was something wrong? "Do you…" Lita swallowed. "Want to do it…?" For a moment, Eiji honestly didn't know what she meant but once he realized, his face became molten red, his pupils near the size of pinpricks.

"Li-Lita… that's… a little early, wouldn't you say?" Now he was the one stuttering. "I-I don't think…"

"What did you do last week?" she suddenly asked, grippings his hands tightly. "Last week today?"

"I…" He struggled to recall but the only thing that immediately came to mind… "I fought a Remless?"

"Eiji, you could have died. So could I, so could any one of us. What we do is dangerous, Eiji. Each battle we fight could be our last, doesn't that make us more grown up than the average teenager?" She took his face in her hands, crying now. "I don't want to die and I don't want you to die… but I know it's possible… I can't deny what I feel for you, Eiji. If one of us does die, I want to have been as close to you as possible. Do you understand, Eiji? I… I love you so much…"

He nodded and kissed her palm. "I understand Lita… and I love you so much it hursts… but I know you're not ready for this step…" He smiled gently and placed a finger over her lips to silence her protest. "If you were, I wouldn't feel such fear in you as I do… I love you more than I thought I could love anyone Lita and you're right, what we do is dangerous but I swear to you, with all my power I'll keep us alive. Nothing short of the gods will stand in the way of our happiness, Lita. That's a promise."

--

Takuya was walking slowly through the park with Mina by his side, the crecent moon shining high above their heads. He still had a rather black eye from his earlier fight with Eiji, but it would be completely gone by tomorrow evening, possibly the next morning at the latest. Did that stop Mina from worrying? Not a single bit.

"Are you sure you don't need an ice pack or something?" she asked for what seemed the millionth time to the samurai boy. If he wasn't so enamored with her, he would have said something very rude. As it was, he merely responded with his distinct gruff and continued walking. The quiet sounds of the city nightlife echoed in the park as Takuya walked Mina towards her home.

"So… you know then." He stated more than asked.

"… About your sister, yes…" she tried not to anger him by mentioning his ex but failed.

"That's not what I meant and you know it, Mina." Takuya snarled. "You know about the—" He cut off the first word that came to mind and sighed. "You know about her."

"Only as much as Eiji told Lita… which, now that I think about it, probably wasn't much…" Mina said.

"… Do you want to know?" Mina didn't know it, but her answer would write her fate.

"I only want to know as much as you are willing to tell me, Takuya, and only if it's about you."

"……" He stopped and turned to look at her. "She wasn't just my fiancée kiddo.

"She was a Kamen Rider." Mina gasped and Takuya continued on. "One of her… gifts was the ability to absorb energy, especially life energy. In battle, she was the most brutal fighter one could ever see, she left no one alive and she'd always volunteer to guarantee that the escaped wouldn't come back to haunt us. Turned out that she was using the Controlled as an excuse to 'feed' and, when she wasn't out on the field, she'd absorb small portions of our energy as well. When she killed my sister…… I refused to believe that it wasn't the fault of her Zector, that it hadn't grown faulty with her using… it… but it checked clean. I still remember what she said to me that day she was arrested by the council…

"She killed my sister because she was hungry. It wasn't anything personal."

"Takuya… you don't…"

"I do, Mina." He spoke sharply, trying to keep the tears from falling down his face. "I nearly lost my faith in humanity that day. She wasn't the only one of us to turn traitor but she was… and I…" He shook his head. "If I could turn back time, I would in an instant to save my sister. I'd give anything to have her back with me but I… I know she's probably happy where she is… she's with father and mother now, right? Not like she'll miss her big brother any with the whole family there with her right, Mina?"

Mina didn't respond with words, choosing instead to wrap her arms tight around Takuya's waist. He stiffened before melting into her embrace, wrapping his arms tight around her shoulders, pressing his face into her hair and letting the golden tresses hide his tears.

"I know you aren't ready yet, Takuya…" Mina whispered into his chest. "But when you are, I'll be here, waiting for you."

"You're wrong…" he whispered, unusually quiet. "I think I already am ready."

"What?" She didn't have time to say anything more. Takuya had gently lifted her chin and was moving in close to her face. Mina's eyes were wide, scared almost, as if scarcely believing what was likely to happen while at the same time, wanting it more than anything she'd wanted before.

Their lips touched.

It was awkward, perhaps a little clumsy, and far from the most romantic of kisses but neither of them cared or noticed. Both lost themselves in the simple act of comfort between friends turned lovers, reveling in the texture and pressure from the other while their hearts pounded loudly in their chests.

Mina's eyes slowly closed as the kiss lingered, her body relaxing after the initial shock. She found herself relishing the touch of his lips, the way his scent filled her nostrils, the heat of Takuya's body as his arms flexed involuntarily over her shoulders, bringing her slightly up onto her tiptoes in response to her hands gently rubbing his back.

As they separated, it was with reluctance, having found a measure of comfort within each other that neither knew could be found so readily. They looked into one another's eyes, seeking answers to questions they couldn't ask, and finding them there.

"So… does this mean…?" she dared to ask.

"Of course, kiddo." Takuya kept his arms around her shoulder. "I'm your's and your mine. No more games."

"Hrmmm then… can I…?"

"You don't even have to ask."

And they kissed once again.

--

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

"Listen to me, Eiji. If the Armor does accept you, you must treat it as though it were a living being. Do not be fooled into thinking the kaiju are dead. They are alive and waiting for a chance to escape back into the real world, straining against the chains we bound them with. The Cast-On Systems allow limited use of their form and their power, it should be enough to get our world back from the Crystals. But Eiji… if, and only if, there is no hope left for you or anyone else, if our world is just minutes away from dying… then and only then can you unlock the restraints on your K-Zector. Only when all hope is lost can you use it. For when you use it, my son… You sacrifice a part of your humanity." Raijin Kusanagi

The Biomerge Systems (Part One); Its Awake

* * *

Author's Notes:

Just a quick FYI, the episode in which Rini and Serena switch ages shall occur. Just without the Candy Remless, which I admittedly made a slight bit weaker but well... whatever. I didn't feel like the episode where Jupiter and Venus accessed their Crystal Powered Attacks would work with Takuya and Eiji added to the mix.

Oh, and if anyone can guess the name of Takuya's ex's Kamen Rider form, I'll reveal the name of the mysterious being that appeared, and quickly disappeared, a few chapters back.

Next, seeing how well received the attack descriptions were, here's some descriptions on the Kamen Rider Daikaiju armor.

ARMOR

There are several main traits to the armor of the Kamen Riders Daikaiju, some that are unique and some that aren't so unique. Let's cover the basics first, neh?

1) The leatherlike bodysuits beneath the armor is on par with Kevlar and can stop most known mundane projectiles (guns included).

2) The actual armor portions of the suits vary in strength depending on the power of the Kaiju they take power from but are otherwise extremely durable, and are able to withstand many powerful attacks.

3) All visors contain built in HUDs that can replay whatever the Rider just saw or what another Rider is currently seeing if they're broadcasting the data through the wireless interconnection built into the helmets.

4) All mouth-guards contain a small microphone that can be activated with the press of a pair of fingers against the side of the guard-piece.

5) All K-Zectors are located either on the left wrist or on the waist. To activate the Cast-On System, one must turn the Zector 180 degrees around.

6) The COS only lasts for a limited time, until the Zector turns back to its original position. The amount of time varies depending on energy spent. The hologram projectors are grafted into the armor and are otherwise unseen even during activation. The color of the hard-light holograms vary depending on the Rider.

GOJIRA

Gojira's armor acts as an energy absorption unit, capable of absorbing all forms of energy to limited degrees of success. Energy attacks can still damage the armor depending on just what kind of energy it is as well as its method of delivery. However, nuclear and electrical energies, especially lightning, serve more to replenish Gojira's energy than to actually harm him. As was already noted, Gojira's armor is so primed to absorb radiation, the energy residue of his G-Force Cannon's attacks are virtually nonexistent and Eiji himself is radiation free outside the armor. Gojira's armor also allows him to breathe underwater and swim at speeds of over 40 knots, with the COS activated of course.

ANGUIRUS

Anguirus armor has a talent that, at first, would appear virtually useless in a fight. It has its own methods of creating oxygen in the mask, allowing the Brown Rider to breathe in a non-oxygenated environment. Because of his ability to create forceshields with the strength to stop gas, most notably air, from entering or exiting, Anguirus would be at risk of choking to death were it not for his armor. However, there is a limit to how much air his armor can generate, though what that limit is, Anguirus is not eager to find out. It should also be noted that certain portions of his armor (specifically his back, shoulders, and hips) are far more reinforced than normal and are near unbreakable.

RODAN

Like Anguirus, Rodan's armor allows him to breathe when he flies over the speed of sound. Rodan's ability to reach such speeds can be attributed to both his COS as well as the pair of rocket boosters located at the base of where his holo-wings meet. Utilizing a similar form of combustion to Gamera's own flight, Rodan's armor allows him to reach speeds of Mach 1.5 with ease. Rodan's armor, unlike the other Riders', is more lightweight, though his front torso is well fortified, having sacrificed defensive strength for speed. A direct hit can knock him out of the air, if one were able to catch him. Also, Rodan's visor is equipped with a telescopic lens capable of increasing his vision range to that of a hawk's.

GAMERA

Gamera's armor acts much like Gojira's only in that it can absorb fire and the energies that Gamera calls mana. However, Gamera's armor is not designed to hold the energy so Gamera has no choice but to return fire lest he overcharge his armor. The turtleshell-like compartment on his back that holds his Terra Blaster also contains various medical emergency equipment inside. Gamera's armor is entirely focused on keeping him alive as long as possible, even beyond wounds that would kill an ordinary person, and will heal him, albeit at a much slower rate than Eiji's own healing factor. Like Gojira's armor, Gamera's allows him to breathe underwater.


	16. It’s Awake

Me: Memorial Day special!

Bahamut: More like, eagerness to 'get to the good stuff' yes?

Me: Heh, guilty.

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

The BioMerge System (Part One); It's Awake

Eiji ran screaming as building blew apart around him, crystals pulsing vividly in the darkness of a moonless night. His sister called for him to stop that there was nothing he could do, but he refused to just stand by and what his father fight a losing battle! He had no K-Zector of his own, like Sensei or Asagi, but damn it, he was a Kusanagi! He wouldn't run away from a fight, especially not one like this! This wasn't a battle between them and the Crystals…

This was a battle between Kamen Riders.

No one saw it coming, or rather, no one wanted to see it coming but it was here, now, and ready to tear what was left of humanity to shreds. He felt the tremors of multiple segmented legs impact the ground before he saw the crimson behemoth tear through a building, shrieking like a banshee prepared to drag the souls of the damned back to hell. Wings as red as blood spread wide as a fang-lined maw gaped open, streams of steamy gas floating upwards. For a moment, it turned and seemed to stare straight at Eiji, who was frozen with fear at the sight of the monster, but it soon became preoccupied with another of its stature.

It slammed into the monster from behind, eyes glowing red as it roared at the monster, pushing it back with a burst of atomic flame. Eiji was only dimly aware of Sensei's arrival behind him along with his sister as the monster screeched in agony as the fires burned its hardened flesh. It growled and tackled the beast, its greater size pushing the other back only to receive another stream of fire in the face and was pushed back. The beast roared, the spines adorning its back flashing between blue and crimson light before whipping its tail under the monster's legs, sending it toppling. The beast grabbed it before it fall and lifted it high over its head, muscles straining against the massive weight, before tossing the monster straight into a column of Crystals.

The monster screamed in agony as more energy than it could take converged through it, making it stronger and weaker all at once. The beast stood back, watching impassively as the monster before it began to die when the horn atop the monster's forehead glowed brightly, extending outwards into a blade composed of the Crystal's energy, and sliced the beast's arm from its body. The arm went flying, shrinking in size until it landed before the horrorfied group watching the battle, now nothing more than a human arm adorned with a the very instrument that created the two behemoths before them.

The K-Zector.

The beast roared a terrible sound that shook the soul, struggling to maintain its form, which seemed to waver in the air. The monster, seeing the opportunity to escape from its agony, started to move forward but was pushed back by the beast. It growled low in its throat. It knew what needed to be done. It turned its head to regard the group watching, glowing red eyes fading to a shade of yellow that Eiji was all too familiar with.

The eyes of his father.

He didn't know when the arm suddenly was being held in his own, only that he kept a vicelike grip upon it as he was carried back and far away from the scene by his sister's vines, tears flowing underneath her helmet as their mutual sensei bowed low to the beast before following them, making sure they didn't fall behind lest they too be caught in what was to come. The beast nodded slowly, its form pulsing with energy of the Crystals and its own power as it turned to regard the monster it was keeping back from its family. Fanged teeth appeared in a feral snarl before a roar that shook the pillars of the heavens echoed out from both monsters as the world exploded in light.

--

Eiji sat up quickly, gasping for air, a cold sweat dripping down his ghostly white face. His eyes were wide, pupils faintly aglow with crimson light as he struggled to regain some sense of composure. Nightmares were frequent for him for his nightmares were better called memories. Memories of a time he truly tried to not recall in the waking world but these memories could not be denied for long and so forced themselves upon him in his dreams, his nightmares. He stared downwards, not truly looking at anything in particular, and frowned sadly to himself in the darkness of his room.

It had been sometime since he recalled his father's death…

He stood and made his way over to his laptop, one of the few items that had survived the trip to this world, and sat down at the desk. As he waited for it to finish turning on, Eiji thought back to that horrible night that earned him the title of Kamen Rider Gojira. His eyes fell upon the K-Zector adorning his wrist, with such an ordinary appearance to that of a wrist-watch, it was hard to imagine the power and danger that came with it. He never recalled putting it on, just that it was there when he awoke and now all the so-called dreams of protecting his people had become a harsh and unforgiving reality. His fist clenched tightly. '_Damn him… I hope his soul is in the ninth circle or I'll go down there myself and shove him headfirst into it!_' Such anger was easy to understand considering the circumstances of his father's death. His father was unrivaled both in his M-base skill and use of his K-Zector by all the other Kamen Riders, all save for him.

Daisuke Serizawa.

Friend.

Traitor.

Monster.

Destroyer.

The computer was finished and with the motions that came from repetition, Eiji opened a file containing video files that served as the last wills in testament to those that died. It wasn't nearly as large as what was contained in the main computer used by any of his ragtag family. It was their repository for all those who died, friends, allies, and even enemies, but here on his computer were the last wills of those who died under his command… as well as his blood-family. He clicked on the file labeled Thunder and sat back in his chair.

The video file started soundlessly as a man appeared on the computer screen. He was an man aged by war though he was no older than thirty when he made the file. His black hair was long, falling past his shoulders, and was as spiky as Eiji's own with the same streak of silver spikes. His eyes, though a dull shade of amber, held the same kind of weariness that could be seen in Eiji's own if one were to catch him unawares. His face had no visible scars but Eiji knew better. The power of the kaiju that he held now and the man once upon time could not be denied but now wasn't the time to think of such things. Eiji focused everything he had on the man, Raijin Kusanagi…

His father.

"Hello, Son…" His father tried to smile but it didn't seem to reach his tired eyes. "If you're watching this, then I guess I've fallen in battle. … Eiji… I never wanted this for you or your sister… I never wanted to raise children in a world overrun by war and chaos. I'm sorry that you were born into this Eiji… especially…" Raijin's eyes drifted down to the watchlike object that adorned his wrist, the same that now adorned Eiji's. "Son… if my hypothesis turns out to be true… if my K-Zector is still intact… You, more than anyone else, will be the one to use it.

"And use it you must son. There are still people out there, in the rest of the world that's still left. You must take up the Armor and follow in my footsteps." Raijin looked down before suddenly looking up into the camera, face set in the look of a general commanding his soldier. "Eiji, there is more to the K-Zector than you realize. There are powers and abilities that it grants that may seem beneficial, you must be cautious in their use and strength. You've seen how the Cast-On System operates, you know of its uses better than any of the others save for perhaps Shiisa-kun, but there is one program in the K-Zector, one that I've kept secret from you and the other children…

"The BioMerge System.

"Listen to me, Eiji. If the Armor does accept you, you must treat it as though it were a living being. Do not be fooled into thinking the kaiju are dead. They are alive and waiting for a chance to escape back into the real world, straining against the chains we bound them with. The Cast-On Systems allow limited use of their form and their power, it should be enough to get our world back from the Crystals. But Eiji… if, and only if, there is no hope left for you or anyone else, if our world is just minutes away from dying… then and only then can you unlock the restraints on your K-Zector. Only when all hope is lost can you use it. For when you use it, my son… You sacrifice a part of your humanity."

Eiji pressed down upon the spacebar, pausing the video. He thought back to his and the other Riders' reaction to Fish-Eye's null-field, the Dead Moon circus tent, and, more recently, the fact that he did not possess a Dream Mirror but something else entirely. Something, that wasn't human.

'But… what if I've no humanity left…? What then father…?'

--

The next few days were by far the worst days that Eiji had ever experienced in this world. Never mind that he just couldn't seem to find some alone time with Lita at all what with her friends or his own hanging around them near constantly. No, it was the recent activity of the new group from the Dead Moon Circus the Amazoness Quartet, that was the real problem. The girl themselves were of no consequence really, unlike their predecessors they took no active involvement whatsoever and let their Remless do their dirty work for them. There in lied most of Eiji's problems.

Though thus far, most of the Remless were nothing strange, compared to those that were used by the Amazon Trio, it was the frequency of familiarity between certain Remless and the Riders that was starting to aggravate him to no end. It was bad enough that none of the other Riders ever managed to land a killing blow, by choice or otherwise, but the fact that Eiji himself had to be the one to kill not one but three Remless that looked so much like them… it was almost more than he could take.

There had to be a connection but for the life of him, Eiji couldn't find it and his aggravation grew.

Of course, what was happening now didn't help matters at all. He had been trying to get some sense of peace, walking through some of the backroads of Juuban Park, when he ran into Serena and Rini. Apparently, the enemy had kidnapped an artist friend of their's and was prepared to take his Dream Mirror inside a mansion that Eiji knew never existed until that very day. Pushing aside the dark thoughts of vain women, human or otherwise, Eiji was quick to join the two into transforming and busting onto the scene.

As Gojira, he resisted the urge to smack the Moon Duo upside the head for ruining their chance of a sneak attack with their usual introduction speech, vowing that such mannerism would not continue even if he had to duct-tape their mouths shut, or in Lita's case keeping her mouth busy with other things… Bad enough that the girl had already managed to get the artist's mirror of dreams to appear… He slowly started forward, voicing how he had other things to concern over and that she, the yellow Amazoness CereCere, should just give up now before he'd resort to killing her. She didn't seem afraid, though she took a step back from him, and summoned her Remless, the dream-eating rose, Togetoge.

Gojira's eyes grew wide behind his helmet and he fought to keep control. The Snake Remless, an insult to Kushinada by having her upper body but with the lower half of a snake, perhaps to symbolize the loss of strength she had to stand and how she died by falling to the ground, no one there to catch her until it was too late. The Bear Remless, with Issun's body but the arms of a grizzly, perhaps to connect to the fact that Issun had none upon arrival to this world. The Ninja Remless, without a face but a similar style to that of Ushiwaka, who came to this world without anything to see reflected in a regular mirror.

You must understand that there is only so much a human mind, no matter the alterations done to it, can only withstand so much pressure physical or mental before something has to give. For warriors, it is often the realization that they no longer classify as such, their strength uncomparable to the newest generation. Ah, but soldiers… there is not a single soldier who has been in combat that's ever walked away unscathed. For the veterans of the World Wars, and the more current ones, the sharp nose reminds them bullets and they cannot help but flinch at the sound. Some, will even go out of their way to dodge the unseen blow even in their advanced age for instinct guides them to do so. Post traumatic stress and soldiers of war are often interwined to such a fine degree that it is almost natural for any such soldier to have such a problem.

Eiji Kusanagi was no exception to that rule.

_Bump…_

He hid it well but it was there at times when he was alone and no one there to keep his attention away from the memories of the past, where he could fall down into the black depths of hatred and despair. Yes, Eiji Kusanagai, Gojira, leader of the Kamen Riders Daikaiju, had a very acute sense of survivor's guilt that was planted by the death of his father. For every death that came because of him, whether truthfully or not, only added to it, making the seed grow into a plant whose vines threatened to crush whatever sanity Eiji had left.

_Ba-bump…_

Upon sight of the Rose Remless, the vines began to tighten.

_Bump… ba-bump…_

Asagi Kusanagi was a mistress of plants, jokes often made of her hands being entirely green instead of just her thumbs, before she became a Kamen Rider. Once she took the mantle of Biollante, that power grew exponentially until there was no plant that did not heed her commands. However, of all the plants, trees, and flowers in the world that still survived the Incursion, it was the rose that answered the quickest, that bowed to her orders and struck like a viper against its prey.

_Bump… ba-bump…_

Kamen Rider Biollante was strong, stronger than some and weaker than others, for she too had a weakness. She could heal yes, but some wounds that fell upon her were not easy to fix. Fire was her mortal enemy now and she was now as fragile as the roses she so coveted before she became a Kamen Rider. That day, so long ago yet so close in Eiji's mind… the day that she died… where stone and steel fell upon them, trapping them alive underneath yards of rubble. She was already dead before she activated the BioMerge System.

_Bump… ba-bump…_

When it was done, when they had excavated her remains… there was not enough of her to place in a single casket for her entire torso was crushed beyond repair; a sight that would always haunt Shiro's nightmares and Eiji's memories… Now, standing proudly before him, was the Rose Remless, Togetoge, long hair made of vines that wrapped delicately around the red rosebud atop her head, her upper body balanced precariously upon a fragile stem covered in thorns.

_Bump… ba-bump…_

It was a Remless.

_Bump… ba-bump…_

It was his sister.

_Bump… ba-bump…_

It.

_Bump… ba-bump…!_

Was.

_Bump… ba-bump…!_

DEAD!

Gojira seemed completely frozen, his heart hammering a mile a minute in his ears as a larger, stronger heart than his own, began to beat in a steady rhythm. His arm moved up to grasp his K-Zector and turned it completely around. There were no words that he needed to say.

"Safety protocols, disengaged. Iniating BioMerge System." The eyes of Gojira's K-Zector glowed brightly with energy.

_Bump, ba-ba-bump…!_

"Three." A flex of clawed gloves, leatherlike material straining as DNA began to break apart and come together.

_Bump, ba-ba-bump…!_

"Two." The nuclear symbol began to shine with near unholy light; energy to power a nuclear heart flowing through him.

_Bump, ba-ba-bump…!_

"One." Gojira's head tilted back as he loosed an uearthly roar that shook the air and caused the ground to quake something terrible before an explosion of light surrounded him.

"BioMerge System, initiated." Where Gojira stood was no longer a Kamen Rider, nor anything human for that matter. It towered over thirty feet tall on two bipedal legs built for the hunt on land and sea both. It was a holo, like before with the Cast-On System, and yet it wasn't. The creature's body was a little too translucent to be real but far too defined in texture and colors to be a single hardlight image. The dinosaurian monster breathed slowly, letting out a stream of smoke through its nose before familiar orange eyes opened beneath its eyelids. Its mouth opened, revealing a double row of sharp fangs ready to tear flesh from bone before it roared once more.

Gone was the human Eiji Kusanagi under the guise of Kamen Rider Gojira… now, there was only Godzilla.

The King of Monsters.

* * *

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

"They say he was born 65 million years ago, but I can tell you the beast that stood before me was born in the heart of a nuclear blast… the very horror that would change the shape of the world itself. There's something in those eyes of his… a fire that burns like a volcano, tempered by the cold malice of a tsunami, that speaks of something over world. I'm not a very religious man, but in an age where gods walk the earth, I can't help but feel like we are close to our own deliverance." – Admiral Tachibana, 1985

The BioMerge System (Part Two); All Hail the King!


	17. All Hail the King

Me: Sorry for the delay folks, had a bit of trouble with this chapter, but hey, it's finished now so go on and enjoy. Oh, and as an added bonus, and a form of apology, I've added, and technically subtracted, another Kamen Rider into the mix!

Bahamut: Really?

Mewtwo: Who?

Poupoko: Who else?

Bahamut: Well there is K-

Me: SHUSH YOU!

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

The BioMerge System (Part Two); All Hail the King

Midoriko's glass slipped from her hand, her face paling to match her snow-white hair perfectly as the man across from her stiffened, his jewel-like eyes wide with a mix between horror and fear. He stood and made as though to run somewhere but stopped, growling low in his throat. Though Shiisa desperately wanted to lend his power to the oncoming battle, he simply didn't have access to it anymore.

Unlike Midoriko.

He looked to her, glaring, silently asking her why she was still here while their godson was out there making the worst mistake he could ever make.

"What are you doing, Midoriko?" He snarled. "You've got to help him!"

"I—" She swore she'd never be a Kamen Rider again, on the blood of her brother she swore that she'd live a life of peace. She couldn't just go back on it! "I can't, Shiisa you know that!"

"And you know what will happen if you don't!" He exclaimed. "The moment Eiji destroys whatever enemy set him off, he's going to go to the nearest source of energy in this city and grow even stronger, losing himself to Godzilla! You're the only one left alive who's strong enough to hold up against him!"

"No, Shiro could—"

"Shiro has one arm, for Kami's sake, Midoriko! And you know how he see's Eiji as his only connection to Asagi! He'd hold back too much and end up making the situation worse. You won't do that."

"… I… Shiisa, I don't…"

"Midoriko." Shiisa placed a hand on her shoulder and looked directly into her eyes. "At best, Eiji will walk away from this with a few years taken out of his lifespan. At worst… the Eiji we love will be gone. Do you really want that? Your brother, the man that he truly was, wouldn't want that and neither would Raijin. He sacrificed his humanity for us to live just a day longer, Midoriko. Don't let his son follow his footsteps."

"…" Midoriko looked down at the ground in silence. Her hand grasped the buckle over her belt. "Execute… Kaiju Spirit Evolution…"

--

If you were to ask Takuya if he was ever afraid, you'd likely receive a sharp retort that leave you speechless. That is of course, if Takuya actually liked you. No, the Yashima was quite vocal when it came to his never feeling fear, though he felt it often despite his loud protests to the contrary. He felt fear every moment of every day, but to certain degrees just like any other man for fear is a common ailment amongst all living beings. However, Takuya was anything but any other man as has been evident the day the spirit of the kaiju thunderbird claimed him as Kamen Rider Rodan.

As the Crimson Rider, fear took a whole new meaning. Fear meant making mistakes, making mistakes meant injuries received on yourself or your comrades, or worse, mistakes meant death. As Rodan, Takuya had to fight against this fear every second he was in battle until either the fight was won or he was no longer able to participate. Never in all his years as Rodan, or before when he was merely Takuya Yashima, did he ever allow fear to control him, to bind him in its cold and uncaring chains.

Until now.

He was with Mina, on one of their quasi-dates, when he heard it before moments before his K-Zector had gone off. That beastial scream that could only come from a long-timed prisoner finally given freedom. He didn't have to look at his Zector to know just who had broken the one promise they all shared willingly with each other. There was only one Kamen Rider amongst them that knew how to break past the security protocols, the only one who was crazy enough, or stupid enough, to actually consider the idea let alone following it through.

Eiji Kusanagi.

He all but carred Mina into the alleyways, urging her to transform and to do it quickly even as he did the same once hidden amongst the shadows between the skyscrapers. Confused, but more worried of Takuya's reaction, she did so and, with Sailor Venus holding onto his neck for dear life as he carried her bridal style in his arms, Rodan was flying quickly towards where he knew a huge battle was about to take place.

He always wanted to fight Kusanagi outright, no holding back, but this was certainly not what he had in mind.

--

If you were to ask Morisato if he ever worried about Eiji, he'd laugh so hard that tears would come to his eyes. He knew what Eiji was capable of more intimately than anyone truly realized. Once, during the war, Morisato had tried so desperately to bring Espiga and Kiri back from the dead, he dared to envoke the powers of the Crystals. Instead of reviving the two, the Crystals gave their power into Morisato, twisting his mind into madness and doubling his strength and power. Of all the Riders, it was Gojira who struggled not to kill him, but to save him.

Even now, both Morisato and Anguirus together shared the same scar.

As Anguirus, he would be more serious perhaps but he'd still smile. He of all the Riders knew of Gojira's power the most, having seen it and fought beside him the most out of any of the others. There was nothing that Eiji couldn't handle for he shared with Morisato the one personal secret he told no one else, even Shiro and Lita. It wasn't his secret to tell, but he was glad that Eiji had told him. In a way, it made him feel less guilty but still more assured that Eiji could take of himself.

But now…

He was sitting beside Ami at a recently opened computer café, both enjoying the faster internet connection the café offered when his K-Zector had gone off. Morisato's breath caught in his throat and, for a damning moment, he hoped, nay even prayed, that it was Takuya or Shiro that had done it. He knew what it would take to snap them out of it if they weren't in control and damn him for thinking it but Morisato found it easier to consider hurting them than Eiji. Eiji was his best friend, his boss, and the best kind of older brother anyone could ever ask for, even if the two were not related by blood.

Fate, it would turn out, was a cruel and evil woman.

He had grabbed Ami's hand and all but dragged her out of the store, nearly hyperventaling as he activated the calling system for his Ride. He spoke quickly, without any clear detail, only that Eiji was in a life-or-death situation for his K-Zector to act as it was. Out of the line of sight, the two emerged on the opposite street from out of the shadows as Kamen Rider Anguirus and Sailor Mercury, both astride a large motorcycle shaped and designed rather like a spiked tank with the head of an ankylosauridae as the head-portion of the vehicle.

Anguirus prayed like never before in the hopes that the Eiji he remembered would be the Eiji he'd find.

--

If one were to question Shiro's relationship with Eiji, he would not hesitate in naming him as his little brother though such a relation was impossible with the death of Asagi Kusanagi, Eiji's older sister and Shiro's fiancée. He and her never had the opportunity to wed before she passed on to where Shiro knew was a better place. He was one of the few that still believed in the Higher Powers, Their names and Their duties to earth and her people. Thus he could understand Eiji's… apprehension as of late when it came to the Remless. If Shiro didn't think it slightly blasphemous, he'd swear that the dead were coming back and coming back wrong in the forms of the Remless.

Kushinada, Issun, and Ushiwaka… Manda, Baragon, and Varan… There had to be a connection there but Shiro couldn't figure it out. None of the siblings died at the same time, Issun outliving his younger brother only by a few hours, and none of their abilities were the same though the legend… Shiro had made it his duty to learn as much of the daikaiju as he could ever since Kusanagi-sama died protecting them from a crazed Serizawa. He knew everything there was to be found about them, perhaps more than he should, so Shiro knew the legend of the Spawn of the Orochi quite well and how the trio of Urashima's seemed to fit into it.

Further contemplation was cut off as Shiro gasped for air, eyes burning molten as he turned and stared opened mouthed towards where a monstrously large source of Aura could be seen, despite the nullifying field of power surrounding the city. It was a source of power that Shiro hadn't felt in ages and had prayed fervently to never see again. Though the power wasn't anywhere as great as when he had seen it last, Shiro recognized it all the same; his K-Zector serving only as a loud reminder of the danger that his little brother was now in.

He was transformed and moving before he even began to think of the consequences of transforming in plain-sight. It was through sheer good fortune that he had done so with only Rei there to witness the act, though it could be argued otherwise. Before Gamera had a chance to take off with a quick activation of the Cast-On System, Rei had grabbed his arm and asked, nay demanded, to know what was wrong. Gamera bit back several oaths that hadn't been uttered in centuries' time. Every moment he'd waste trying to explain the situation was another moment closer for Eiji to…

He told Rei to transform and that he'd explain on the way. Despite himself, Shiro honestly thought that Rei would refuse and argue that he explain first but she didn't. She heard something in his voice that she'd never truly heard before and it scared her. Out of all the boys, Shiro was the one that always kept a levelhead during a situation and for him to act like this…

With his arms otherwise occupied with keeping a firm but gentle grip on Sailor Mars, Gamera had to fly in quick bursts of plasmic energy. As he explained what the emergency truly was, Gamera was praying to every Shinto deity he knew of, begging them to spare his brother.

--

Shiisa Miyrabi is not one would immediately expect of a martial artist. He carried himself like, well to be blunt, rather like a dog. He dressed as he liked, acted as he liked, and had little reason to care about how much his hair looked better on a lion's head than a human's. To strangers, especially those he didn't like, his bark truly was worse than his bite unless you were one of the few stupid enough to stick your head in the lion's mouth as it were. If you were an acquatance, someone he recognized and actually liked, he'd treat you kindly but wouldn't hesitate in rebuking you if you did something stupid. If you were family, blood or otherwise…

He was a father, an uncle, a brother, a grandfather… everything and anything that was necessary. He'd fight for you and against you, he'd help you with your problems and he'd share his own with you simply because you earned his trust, something that any one of the boys could atest to being quite difficult. Once you were accepted into his pack, Shiisa would never allow you to come to harm just as he'd expect the same from you. A pack is family and family means that no-one is forgotten, even the dead.

Sometimes though, the memories of the dead… allowed too much clouds of misjudgement to fall upon him. Of all the people that died during the war, Raijin was the one that Shiisa was closest to. The two had grown up together, were trained by the same sensei in their style of martial arts. Hell, Shiisa had been Raijin's best man at his wedding and was godfather to Asagi and Eiji both. He was also one of the first true Kamen Riders, the others being, of course, Raijin, Midoriko… and Serizawa.

Even recalling the man's name had Shiisa's hackles rising, a feral frown on his face. He had lost his best friend that day, seven years ago and had to watch as his godson followed in his father's footsteps. Shiisa knew the risk of the BioMerge System, what it could do to the Rider and what the kaiju within would do if it wasn't under the control of the Rider. While it was true that he had urged Midoriko straight into the mess, damn his inactive K-Zector, Shiisa remembered one other method of freeing Eiji from the grips of the BioMerge System. It had worked for Raijin and it would no doubt work for his son.

Shiisa knocked on the door and smiled as it opened to reveal the apartment's sole occupant. "Hello Lita-chan. Do you have a moment?"

--

It was a world and yet it wasn't. It was a place that even the damned would not be placed upon for even the damned deserved no such punishment as this existence. It was an endless void where nothing could seen or felt aside from one's self. A world without sight, sound, or form save for yourself. Where colors did not exist save again for your own flesh and blood. A world where nothing is all there ever was and all that could ever be. You'd be surrounded by others in the same predicament as your own but you would never notice and neither would they. Here, in this world of nothing, the body had no need for food or drink and would not age. It was a state of suspended animation without the beloved uncociousness that allowed one to escape from the long stretches of time.

Some could call this place Hell and those damned into those fiery pits would call this place Heaven.

For them, it was Nowhere.

None of them could recall just how they arrived there, not even the one who had been their half-a-century longer than any of them, only that eternity was indeed far too long a time for the arrival of mercy. Only one amongst them refused to attempt to take their own life, not because of the fact that it was a futile effort but because to succumb to such a thing was weakness.

And weakness was not welcomed here.

Soon though, weakness or power wouldn't matter. Everything, and everyone, was coming together nicely and they were pleased with results. Though there were some skirmishes in the beginning, those allowed sight and sound of one another had begun to work together to find a means of escaping the Nowhere. They knew it wasn't impossible, as the one had already proven, it was mearly a matter of locating the right plane of existence. It simply wouldn't do if one to end up in a two dimensional world now would it? Soon though, it would not matter at all what world they'd escape into. All that mattered was their rightful return to the lands of mortals and remind them of the Terror of Death.

The King would not be denied his kingdom for much longer.

--

Godzilla snorted and looked slowly over Its surroundings, Its human-like eyes fallng upon the duo of Sailor Moon and Mini-Moon. They were nothing to It, insects in size and power, but they were different… Familiarity colored the orange orbs for but a moment before they drifted towards the Rose Remless and her mistress. Godzilla stiffened, Its lips pulling back into a feral snarl. It had no recollection of this creature or the insect behind her, but Its jailor did and those memories assaulted Its mind with the force of a tsunami, overwhelming It into a rage the likes of which nothing could escape from.

The eyes of the kaiju began to shine until they were all but glowing a haunting shade of white, the pupils gone as if they never were. Energy began to gather in Its mouth as dorsal spines began to shine with blue nuclear energy and heat. Togetoge didn't bother to move or react. She merely stood there staring up at the beast with a strange sort of fondness that stemmed either from a long time of knowing the other or by relation of blood. She whispered something, so softly that the creature itself could barely hear the word but once It did…

"_Shoutei…_"

It had begun.

CereCere had only just enough time to jump out of the way as a stream of radioactive power burst forth from Godzilla's mouth, turning Togetoge into ash instantly before the flames could even touch her. A good several yards deep hole was made into the ground of the mansion before Godzilla cut the power of Its flames and turned blazing white eyes upon CereCere. Claws clenched tightly as a low growl came from deep within the kaiju's throat as It took one menacing step forward. There was no time to gloat or even make promises of a next-time, CereCere knew that this monster, whatever it was, had more power than anything she had ever seen, able to destroy her Remless with little effort on Its part.

And now, It was looking straight at her.

Her Amazon Stone appeared instantly and took her up towards the rafters of the ballroom before blasting out the window and towards the circus tent where, hopefully, CereCere would either find refuge from the beast or an army to stand against It. Godzilla's eyes followed the orb and roared in fury, Its rage and Its jailor's mixing together as perfectly as twine. It charged forward, slamming through the wall and leaping up into the air, jaws snapping at the Orb, which only increased its speed away from the angry kaiju.

Godzilla growled low in Its throat. It knew what Its jailor knew but had not the same ability of comprehension. It was a beast of nature, a living natural disaster that would not be denied by any living force, even those representing the power Its own rage stemmed from. It knew this, as did Its jailor, but what could It do if It were to go back? Back to being sealed away because It had not the power to enter the territory of Its enemies? It looked around and saw, much to Its displeasure, how much power It truly lacked. It was the size of a babe in a world not of Its own; it would survive in any battle with another kaiju at this size, a reflection of the power It held, and with that blast of power…

It was hungry… It needed sustenance.

Nostrils flared, senses once primed to stalk creatures of flesh and other such delights had long since changed to search for that which could not be immediately seen. Eyelids closed lazily, trying to take in the euphory of scents in the air. A rough tongue slid out over razor sharp fangs, licking dried lips.

Its eyes opened.

Godzilla had found what It was looking for.

It stomped forward, all to aware that It was heading straight into the nest of insects but It didn't care. More than hunger, It needed this power to get rid of the intruders. This was Its Territory, this island chain, nay this entire world, and It would not allow another force to occupy these lands any longer. It would go and feed upon the energies It required and It would get rid of the Intruders with extreme prejudice.

And this time, Godzilla would not go back.

--

Godzilla snorted at the sounds of the insects' incessant screeching. It was starting to weigh the idea of setting the forest ablaze just to have the sounds of the flames overcome that of the insects' hunger be damned when It heard the familiar and not welcomed sound of hornets. The large beast growled and looked up towards the skies and was surprised that It wasn't the familiar silver forms of the hornets that shot annoying stingers upon It but a pair of insects, each with another insect in their arms, females if what Godzilla's nose was telling it.

Another, far stranger sound, reached Its ears and the kaiju turned Its head to look down upon a strange trio of creatures, one resembling a creature Godzilla knew all too well yet entirely different. Confused, Godzilla growled and waited to see just what these creatures intended before taking any form against them. It did recall Its time amongst the insects but It remembered Its parent's lessons well, strike only when struck first and never without a clear head.

How ironic that Godzilla's parent would give the same advice as Eiji's own.

--

Gamera and Rodan both landed next to Anguirus, who was just getting off his bike alongside Sailor Mercury, while the Moon Duo was racing towards them, giving the monstrous dinosaur that was once their friend a large birth.

"Guys! Guys!" The Moon Duo was doing an odd mix between screaming hysterically and whispering lest they draw Godzilla's attention to themselves. "That's, that's—"

"Eiji, we know that already meatball-for-brains," growled Rodan, his holo-wings ruffling on his back, his eyes never leaving the face of the creature and his arm, the one with his Primal Blade in hand, hovered near Sailor Venus who was also staring up at the monstrous creature.

"That thing is really Eji?"whispered Venus, staring up at Godzilla, who merely glared down at her with liquid white eyes, gauging her. It could smell the powers within her, nothing that could feed It, but enough to be wary of if used against It.

"Yes, unfortunately it is Aniki…" whispered Anguirus, one hand idly touching the hilt of his Ankylo Hammer. '_Is he controlling It? … No, the eyes…_

'_They're Godzilla's eyes, not Aniki's…_'

"What happened?" Gamera turned to glare at the Moon Duo. "What made him activate the BioMerge System?"

"The Bio-whatsit?" asked Sailor Moon.

"We'll explain in detail later, I swear." Anguirus spoked fervently; they needed answers and quickly. "What happened to Aniki? What did the enemy do?"

"That's just it!" exclaimed Mini-Moon. "That yellow lady, CereCere or something, had summoned her Remless and then Gojira went all… well…" The pink-haired Sailor Scout-in-training shot a nervous look upwards towards Godzilla, who was growing steadily more irritated with the lack of action on the insects' part. What were those noises they were making and why were they looking at It in such a manner?

But, most importantly, why did such looks bother It?

"Oh gods…" Rodan palmed his face. "What did the damn thing look like? What was it?"

"A rose." Sailor Moon answered.

"Oh Amaterasu…" Gamera gasped. "Asagi…"

"What?" asked Sailor Mercury. "Who's Asagi…?"

"Are you sure?" asked Anguirus to Sailor Moon, ignoring Mercury's question. "Are you absolutely sure it was a rose, not anything else?" At her nod, Anguirus uttered a foul oath. "Aniki…"

"It doesn't matter right now," stated Gamera, watching as Godzilla started to continue on towards Its goal, completely ignoring the group. "We got to keep him here and snap him out of it. Right now, Eiji's conciousness is buried beneath the mind of that thing and we've got to weaken it enough for him to gain control and change back.

"Mercury, I need you to use your ice attack on him." Sailor Mercury's eyes widened.

"What? But Gamera—"

"It won't kill him, trust me. If anything, it will draw his attention to us."

"And that's a good thing?" asked Sailor Venus.

"Yes." Gamera glared at the blonde Scout, ignoring Rodan's defensive growl. "If Godzilla manages to find the right kind of energy to feed on, we'll have an even bigger problem on our hands. Emphasis on big. Remember this," Gamera looked at each of the girls in turn. "Whatever you do, do not leave our sides and if you see the spikes on Godzilla's back start flashing, run and don't look back for us.

"Move out!"

--

Godzilla was getting rather irritated with the vast amount of treelife It was being forced to plow through. While It was thankful for the loss of noise from the insects, It was beginning to get irritated. Its ears twitched as it heard a strange sound on the winds before a large plume of water splashed at Its neck, water that was quick to turn into ice. Godzilla screeched in agony before shaking Its mighty neck, breaking the ice into shards before turning and growling low in Its throat at the insects it had been so quick to dismiss despite the power It felt in the females and the familiarity It sensed in the males.

The red female shot a blast of fire upon It but it served no purpose other than to temporarily blind It as It was moving forward only to trip over some kind of energy It did not recognize. Falling to Its knee, Godzilla snarled and snapped Its jaws in obvious irritation, claws faintly itching to grab a firm hold on the insects and crush them into oblivion when one of the males, the brown one that felt the most familiar to It, leapt upwards and slammed some sort of extension of himself into Its jaw, sending It reeling back from the force of the blow.

Before, It was irritated.

Now, It was pissed.

Stomping to Its feet, the kaiju made as though to blast them straight to the molten core of the planet when It felt more than saw a familiar presence that made even the King of Monsters pause in Its attack. Faint strings of webbing started to fly through the air, collecting together to form tighter strands upon Godzilla's snout that was quick to be torn off via Its claws. Turning blazing eyes towards the trees, It saw a small insect step forward from amidst the leaves and suppressed a chortle of amusement. How ironic… an insect as an insect?

--

"Who's that?" whispered Sailor Mars to a stunned Gamera. The figure above them was dressed in the armor of a Kamen Rider but none that any of the girls recognized. For one thing, this Rider was female, as the dull brown armor was quite evident to show, and her overall design spoke more of an insect than a reptile of any form. In fact, if one were to be really specific, one would guess that her armor was based off a caterpillar's what with the bulbous blue eyes that served as the Rider's visor and the larvae-like guns strapped to both her wrists.

'_Midoriko…?_' Gamera blinked in surprise behind his visor. '_What is she doing here…?_'

The female Rider turned to look down upon the group and tapped the side of her mouthguard. "Shiro, Morisato, Takuya. Keep Eiji corralled. I'll use my Silk Blasters to tie him down."

"Why don't you go Imago already, Mosura?" asked Anguirus over the comm. link.

"I've broken one vow already, Morisato." Was all Kamen Rider Mosura had to say for her actions before she raised both arms and let loose a large spray of webbing. Godzilla roared, spines flashing brightly to incinerate the strands of silk when Rodan flew upwards and slashed his blade across the kaiju's arm. It roared angrily, turning hateful eyes upon the flyer and tried to smack Rodan out of the way with Its tail only for it to be literally tied up by Sailor Venus chain and held down by Anguirus. Snarling quite angrily now as the strands of webbing were growing stronger and larger upon It, Godzilla started to move forward towards Mosura when a fireball of plasma hit It hard in the chest, sending It stumbling backwards, nearly falling on Venus and Anguirus.

Mercury crossed her arms over her chest and with a cry of "Mercury Bubbles Blast!" sent a stream of bubbles up towards Godzilla's face, which were quick to explode into a thick mist. The Kaiju King roar and struggled to move Its head out of the mist but the magic-empowered mist was quick to follow the monster's movements and through it all, Mosura continued to coat Godzilla with webbing until, finally, It tripped over its heavily tied legs. The impact of the kaiju's large body sent a mild tremor through the ground.

Godzilla glared at the insects that stood before Its nose and would have burned them to ash if It had the power to waste but it barely had enough strength to try and break the webbing that tied it so tightly. Its hunger was growing stronger while It was growing weaker. If it didn't consume enough energy soon, It would return back to the Void and Its jailor would die.

Not that Godzilla truly cared for the life of Its jailor…

--

Mosura jumped and landed lightly beside Gamera. "You know what we must do."

The Emerald Rider turned pleading eyes to his elder. "Please… Is… isn't there some other way? If we use too much, he could die…"

"And if we do nothing, he'll die still. Better he die as a man instead of a monster, Shiro." The Trinity Jewels atop her brow began to shine with power, enough to give a severe amount of pain that even Godzilla could not withstand, but just when she was ready to unleash it…

"Stop." The group turned in surprise to see Shiisa Miyrabi standing beside an untransformed Lita Kino. The wild-haired man looked down at Lita and smiled. "Go on… here, is where you can be his hero…" The girl looked incredibly nervous and afraid but she didn't hesitate in moving towards the restrained beast, ignoring any pleas for her to not get close as the Riders, excluding Mosura, held the girls back. They knew that of anything that could do, this was the safest path they had and they were going to take it despite Mosura's protestations.

Shiisa placed a firm hand upon Mosura's shoulder and spoke under his breath. "Don't interfere. Let her try, Midoriko."

"She could get hurt! He's not Raijin and she's not Miki!" She spoke harshly. He had planned this all along, and she was angry. He made her break her vow for a chance!

"Don't you think I've realized that?" Shiisa growled quietly to her. "If she fails… then, do what you must…"

Lita, meanwhile, was now standing before the stoic Godzilla, whose eyes, though unseen by the unearthly white glow, were staring right down at her. It was growling at her and for a moment she thought It, the creature and not the man beneath, was mad at her but the face was not one of rage but… of confusion…? It knew her, she realized, It recognized her as something important but, if what Mr. Miyrabi said was true, It could not comprehend the reason just the trust and, for now, that was enough for It to actually listen to her. Shiisa told him that, of the group that consisted of the Kamen Riders, there was a sort of instinctual guide that commanded them at times even outside the armor. He said that while he was the oldest of them, it was Godzilla, and, through the K-Zector, Eiji that was Alpha amongst their pack.

And while Godzilla was not exactly submitting to her, It watching her as though waiting for something.

She drew closer and, slowly lest she startle It, placed a hand atop the kaiju's snout and was pleasantly surprised by how warm and sturdy it was. '_Not scales…_' she realized. '_Like leather…_'

"Eiji… Eiji, please I know you are there. I need you to come out so that I can talk to you…" she whispered softly to It, stroking Godzilla's nose as It continued to stare at her, Its eyes grewing conflicted. "Eiji, you promised me," she held up her hand, the one with Eiji's promise ring resting upon her finger. Godzilla's eyes snapped upon the ring. White light began to die as orange human pupils began to shine in Its eyes. It… He… remembered… "I love you Eiji, please, come back. Don't hide behind this monster to escape from the pain… please, come back to me…"

It wanted to stay, It didn't want to go but… Its mate was… She was… crying…… When… did It ever cry…? It could not recall… and yet, It remembered… Mother, Father, Sister, Friends, and Family… dying when he survived to watch as he family… Its pack… was decimated by a war It did not understand yet knew all too well… It wanted to be alive but… Godzilla's eyes closed. What was It thinking, this insect? Its mate? Foolish thoughts from Its jailor nothing more! Still…

It was enough.

Godzilla's head tilted back and he let loose a mghty roar that would have rendered them all temporarily deaf had Its voice not been overpowered by the light of the BioMerge System deactivating itself. The strands of webbing burned away from the blast, Eiji kneeled before them, voice hoarse as he stared down at the ground, shivering as tears fell from his eyes. Lita ran to him and embraced him tightly, his own arms doing the same as he wept onto her shoulder.

"She died again, Lita… I killed her again…" The rest of the group were quick to detransform and, though some were unwilling, joined in a massive group hug around the broken Kamen Rider.

Beside him, Midoriko let out a sigh of relief for both the return of her godson and her reversion. "It's over…"

"No," argued Shiisa with a shake of his head. "It's not, I don't think it ever will be… but…" He looked over to his pack and saw how close they were to one another still, new bounds grewing and adding strength to them all. "At least, he won't go through this alone."

* * *

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_Shiisa:_ I've heard people say that time heals all wounds, but time is no longer a luxury we seem to have anymore. The enemy, while cautious, is growing ever more desperate to find this Golden Mirror. Bad enough that Eiji is out of commission, the Moon Duo had a run-in with a serious case of black magic the likes of which are… well, pretty damn funny in my opinion.

Neverland Reversal; Child's Dream and Adult's Fancy

* * *

A/N: Sorry, no details on Mosura this chapter. Why? Because that wasn't Mosura, at least, not the Kamen Rider that was reverred as the Shining (White) Goddess. Oh, and don't worry about Shiisa. He'll be joining his packmates real soon we've just got to hold down the fort until the right... conditions are met...


	18. Neverland Reversal

Me: Bahamut, I swear to God, if you don't leave me alone-

Bahamut: You shouldn't be out of bed, you idiot! I don't know what your wife is thinking, saying you're okay when you're not!

Me: Oh for crying out loud, I'm fine, your fine, even Flip the idiot clown that he is, is fine! It was just a little accident-

Mewtwo: That had you out of commission for nearly two weeks, Corvus.

Poupoko: (Are you sure you should even be up and about?)

Me: Look, I'm fine okay? It's not like I died or anything.

Bahamut: That's it. You two, post the story, I'm tying this idiot to his bed for the rest of the week.

Me: What? HEY! LET GO OF ME! BAHAMUT!

Poupoko: ... (He'll be okay won't he?)

Mewtwo: Oh I'm sure he will be.

Poupoko: (I was talking about Bahamut.)

Mewtwo: Strangely, so was I.

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

Neverland Reversal; Child's Dream and Adult's Fancy

It took some time but, eventually, they managed to find their way home with the girls following close behind all for their own reasons though they all connected to a certain boy amongst the group. Of course, each boy was different depending but it was the thought that counted. Through it all, Eiji walked like a man dead on his feet. He did the motions but there was no life in his movement or in his eyes and his face was quite pale and haggard as though he had not seen the light of day for some time. Now, safe at their home, the Riders were trying to get their friend to talk to them.

"Come on, Little Brother, you've got to eat something…" Shiro held a bowl of ramen under Eiji's nose, which was silently ignored. "Eiji, you need to replenish your energy. Even your immune system can fail under the strain you've been under…"

"Eiji, please, talk to us…" Lita implored her boyfriend. Eiji remained silent, his eyes coining the phrase, 'a thousand-yard stare' to a tee.

"Aniki, we, we know what happened and-and you don't need to feel guilty about it. It was… necessary…" Morisato honestly didn't know what to do, he hadn't ever seen Eiji act like this, even when his sister died. He had cried, he had destroyed much of the training room, and had fought with an increased fervor that was downright staggering but this… It was as though he…

"It should have been me…" Only two pairs of ears were capable of hearing Eiji's whisper.

"What?" snapped Takuya, glaring at Eiji. Though he'd never say it, he was concerned as the rest of the Riders.

"I killed her again…" Eiji whispered, shivering slightly. "I should have been the one… I should have died…"

"You… STUPID BOY!" A hard punch to his jaw sent Eiji straight up and over the couch to land in a heap behind it. Several pairs of shocked eyes stared at the perpetrator.

"Sensei!?" Shiisa Miyrabi was quite thankful that Midoriko had decided the better part of valor by staying in her room to avoid the lion-maned man that tricked her into breaking her vow. The man knew he'd be paying for it later but, right now, he had a bigger price to pay. He moved quickly over to Eiji, picking him up with ease and shaking him.

"Is this what your father died for!? IS IT!?" He threw the boy over his shoulder, watching as the girls scrambled out of the way while the boys merely stood close to the walls. They knew better than to get involved in what was transpiring before them.

Eiji wearily staggered to his feet, a hand over his bleeding nose. "Sensei, I—if I hadn't been—"

"SHUT UP!" Shiisa sweep-kicked Eiji off his feet and grabbed him in a half-nelson. "We can't change the past, boy! We can only keep moving forward! Do you want to die that badly?! To have died with the others?!" Shiisa tossed him back to the center of the room where pure instincts got Eiji to roll with his momentum to rise back to his feet. Shiisa stepped forward and made it clearly evident that he was going to punch his student. Eiji didn't bother stopping him and let Shiisa land blow after blow as he continued to yell at him. "You're weak, you're useless, and you're not worthy of her either!" Shiisa panted for breath, one fist still held up as he gazed out the corner of his eye at Lita, who was being held back by Shiro of all his pupils.

"You want her and yet you're too damn afraid of the past to wake up and move with her to your future together! If you're so weak to keep your promises, you shouldn't bother making them!" Shiisa let his fist fly once more and grunted when it was caught.

Eiji took a long shuddering breath as he slowly pushed Shiisa's fist back with one hand. The Kusanagi slowly lifted his head to reveal the red of his pupils that glared heatedly at the man, who merely grinned right back. The broken nose was already healed and the cut on Eiji's lower lip was quickly closing. "I… don't break my promises, old man!" Eiji performed a spinkick with enough force to send Shiisa flying through the door and out into the yard. Not letting the man get a chance to recover, Eiji dove at him only to be roughly grabbed and tossed once more onto his behind.

"You're too slow, pup!" Shiisa laughed he got into a battle stance. "I thought it was Shiro that was the slow and easy-going one!"

"Bite me old man!" Eiji roared.

From the damaged door, the group left behind watched the brawl with mixed expressions. The boys themselves were smiling, or in Takuya's case smirking, while the girls were frowning in concern.

"Shouldn't we stop this?" asked Lita. "Eiji's hurt bad enough already…"

"No, if anything, we'd be doing more damage." Morisato argued. "Sensei's got the right idea. He's making Aniki let out all of his negative emotions."

"But, isn't he worried about getting hurt himself?" asked Ami, earning a disbelieving scoff from all three boys.

"None of us have ever beaten Sensei, Miss Ami." Shiro said. "Though Little Brother is quite strong and gifted with a remarkable healing ability, he never could last long against Sensei."

After several minutes of trading blows, it became quite evident that Eiji was beginning to tire until, finally, he collapsed against Shiisa, who held him up with the care of a father. Laughing quietly to himself, Shiisa placed one of Eiji's arms over his shoulder and helped the boy back into the house and towards his room even as Lita ran up to him to help. As the two made their way through the house, the other boys escorted their girls home, assuring them that Eiji was in capable hands now. Once Shiisa had placed the boy into his bed, Shiisa watched as Lita carefully tucked him in and sat down beside him, her hand holding his tightly. He spared the girl a warm smile.

"It's true you know. Eiji's never once broken a promise to anyone. He'd go to Hell and back to keep his Way of the Rider alive. For you, I think he'd go even further." He looked down at the unconscious boy. "Especially for you."

Lita blushed and rubbed her thumb against the back of Eiji's hand. "Is it alright if I… stay here…? Until he wakes up?"

"Of course. I'll bring the spare futon." Turning to leave, Shiisa paused at the door. "Just remember this Lita… No hanky panky until I see some wedding bands." He chuckled to himself at the scent of her embarrassment and left Eiji's room.

"Miyrabi…" A cold, yet very angry voice stopped the man at the closet door for but a moment before he continued taking out the spare futon.

"Yes, Mahara?" If Midoriko was going to act like a child, Shiisa was going to as well. He understood her anger, really he did, but the situation was dire. Didn't she realize that by now?

"What you did was horrible, Miyrabi. You tricked me into breaking my vow just so you could have an excuse for a plan you didn't know would work." Miyrabi's senses, though dulled like the other Riders, could still feel the electricity in the air. Midoriko was virtually glowing in anger and a faint crackle of magic sparked through her hair but nothing came of it. Shiisa knew she had the best control of all the Kamen Riders, including himself.

"Midoriko," Shiisa sighed with resignation. "I hadn't the idea until after I convinced you to help Eiji, something you should have done automatically as both his godmother and his friend. Yes, I didn't know if Lita could break through to him, I'll admit that freely. What I won't admit to doing is tricking you into breaking your promise to your promise. A promise you should never had made in the first place."

Midoriko looked quite ready to slap Shiisa. "Don't you dare, Miyrabi! Don't you dare act as I though I don't care about Eiji or the others! Do you think I like watching them go out there, getting themselves hurt, possibly getting killed, over a war that's not even ours to be concerned over?"

"It became our concern the moment innocent people were being hurt." Shiisa crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her. "The boys might have agreed with you before their mates became victims of this Dead Moon Circus. Before, it was duty that urged them to do the right thing. Now, it's personal. They won't stop until the Circus is out of town."

"I know that!" Midoriko sighed tiredly, tiredly massaging her forehead. "I just… I just don't want them to turn out like Naraku…"

"… Sigh…" Shiisa shook his head. Naraku Mahara, twin brother to Midoriko Mahara. Friend of Raijin Kusanagi and Shiisa Miyrabi. Kamen Rider.

Traitor.

"Naraku did what he did because he believed it to be right, Shiisa. I don't want the boys to walk that same path." Midoriko whispered.

"They won't." Shiisa shook his head, carefully rolling the futon in his arms to hold it better. "Naraku was… disillusioned. He saw no better solution than the one he came up with and followed it. It was his mistake to make and our own to not have corrected it sooner. We know the boys don't think like he used to, Midoriko. When it comes to sacrificing anything, the boys would rather they be the ones than anyone else." Shiisa walked back to Eiji's room, leaving Midoriko behind.

"That's what I'm afraid of…"

--

Zirconia was at the end of her rope and caught in a tight corner at the same time. On one hand, she had her Queen pressing her forward on finding the Golden Dream Mirror that Pegasus was hiding in but on the other…

Zirconia herself had not immediately seen the monster that CereCere screamed of but she had seen how the Amazoness had reacted to it. For a flame's flickering moment, Zirconia honestly felt compassion for the girl who was obviously afraid for her life but it was gone, snuffed out by a power greater than her own heart. Zirconia ordered her ever vigilant flying eyeball to show her this monster. The red eyeball, though specifically created as a means of seeing those with the potential of beautiful dreams could also be used as a form of scrying. However, this ability drained poor little Zircon something terrible but if what CereCere was right…

It was a risk that Zirconia had to take.

Zircon was wary of doing as his mistress commanded but it flew out to the center ring and concentrated all its energy into Seeing CereCere's monster. All Zircon intended was to See the monster as it was now nothing more or less but something—no! Someone, had other ideas in mind… Zircon froze as a sense of dread filled its nonexistent heart, the pupil of its eye glowing brightly.

_("Shimera Kazam Imera Imera Kazam …)_

It happened.

Zirconia's mouth dropped open in a wide gape as the three sisters of CereCere gasped in shocked horror, suddenly finding a deep desire to hug each other tightly while CereCere herself tried to block out the sounds of the Monster King. In the sphere, there was Godzilla standing amidst a burning city, Tokyo fifty years in the past, standing over fifty meters in height with all the fury of a hurricane behind those raging eyes. The moving image warped to another to show the kaiju tearing through buildings with ease as it fought tooth and claw to attain the energy it needed to survive, pushing back the defending forces with ease. How it fought against foes stronger than it with a undeniable ferocity that sent shivers down the spines of the Amazoness Quartet.

It was the monster's victory over these foes that made Zirconia feel the one thing she only felt in the presence of her Queen.

Fear.

This creature… was nothing like she had ever seen in all her existence and, for once, Zirconia honestly found something more terrifying, more terrible, and more monstrous than that which created her though she was unaware of just what that was. This creature was a living natural disaster and it was just one of four if it truly came from the Black Rider, the one called Gojira…

The ringmaster did honestly consider the idea of recruiting the Kamen Riders to their cause in the same fashion as the Amazoness Quartet but if she had such a time trying to keep the Quartet under control… She shivered at the idea of those, those monsters that lay just underneath the surface of the Riders.

It didn't help matters that the Quartet was all but refusing to do anything that might garner the Black Rider's attention. Oh yes, the still searched for the Golden Mirror, but they made sure to not summon any Remless and even went so far as to let the Dream Mirrors return to their owners unscathed so as not to earn the wrath of the Kamen Riders upon them.

Oh well… at least she could count on PallaPalla to look through more than one Mirror, though Zirconia hoped that she wouldn't do anything stupid. Not that she was afraid of the Riders' monsters either of course.

--

It had been three days since that event and Takuya was still in a bad mood. Not that he wasn't constantly in a bad mood but this was one of those moods that had him snapping at the little things…. Which, in hindsight, isn't really that different either but considering that it was Takuya who thought he was in a bad mood must mean something, neh? A quiet knock on the door alerted the ponytailed boy that someone was at the door and, being the closest, it was the unwritten rule that he answer. Grumbling to himself about idiotic rules he shouldn't have to follow because they don't exist, Takuya rose and walked to the door, opening it with a loud exclamation of "What the hell is it?!"

He froze.

His brain took this moment to reboot and go over the information his eyes had just taken in. Lita, Ami, and Mina all looking a little bit worried and more than a bit hopeful. Odd, not that uncommon but still odd. Rei looking like Christmas came early. Not entirely weird when it involved something bad with the resident meatball head. Speaking of, resident Meatball-head seemed to have changed her style of hair along with color, the same with… Pinky… who had Meatball-head's hair… albeit shorter but…

"Excuse me a moment." Takuya slowly closed the door on the girls, who exchanged confused/startled looks. Takuya, Mr. I-don't-take-shit-from-no-one-so-bite-me, saying 'Excuse me'? If that wasn't a sign of the apocalypse.

Loud roaring laughter on the otherside of the door made the girls' opinions change quite drastically.

It was a definite sign.

--

Morisato walked slowly over towards Takuya, wondering just what was wrong with the taller boy. Gently pushing him aside, Morisato prepared himself for whatever sight that made Takuya, King of Sarcasm and Lord of Seriousness, break down into maniacal laughter that could rival that of a joker. The door opened with a quick jerk and Morisato took in the same sights as Takuya and, like the ponytailed Yashima, the Akichi needed a moment to process the information before coming up with a suitable way to deal with it.

"Holy crap, Rini's hot!" He blinked and looked suddenly thoughtful. "Though no-where as sexy as a bluenette… Hrmmm, Water Sprite would look downright adorable in those clothes." It was only after acknowledging the blushing faces of the two age-switched meatball-heads, smirking faces of the trio, and one downright flaming-faced Ami who looked close to having an embarrassed meltdown that Morisato realized that he wasn't thinking such thoughts but speaking them.

Matching Ami's facial color perfectly, the scarred boy squeaked out a quick, "I've-got-to-go!" before slamming the door on them and running away. Let it never be denied that Morisato, despite being somewhat of a charmer wasn't one to embarrass himself.

Takuya only laughed harder at the sight of them.

--

Shiro was honestly wondering if he was perhaps the only sane one left of the Kamen Riders besides Lady Midoriko. It was strange to see Takuya laughing but he had seen such sights before… well, just before but to see Morisato, the lady-charmer of their little group, suddenly run away to his room blushing like a bride on her wedding day…

That was just plain weird.

So it was with great care, and a more than a fair share of caution, that Shiro approached the door that seemed to warrant such strange and bewildering effects on his ragtag family and saw for himself just what was the cause of the effect. Being their senior by only two years but having the literal patience of a monk of his practice, Shiro really did try to keep himself as fully rational as he could but really, one couldn't help but say what he did in such a situation.

"Oh my…" He blinked a few more times and suddenly realized he had an opportunity here. Turning his head to look back into the living room, he called, "Little Brother? Could you come here?"

--

Though he believed otherwise for now, Eiji was in fact quite a leader and had all the necessary capabilities of one. He put his team and his allies over the mission, he'd fight with them in the midst of battle, and he had the instinct of knowing just when a situation was in desperate need of retreat. This instinct branched out into other such ideals, one of which made the Kusanagi immediately aware that, whatever it was that Shiro wanted him to see, was not going to be a good thing. It was bad enough that such strange reactions were coming from two seemingly unflappable Riders…

Upon standing at the doorway beside Shiro, Eiji blinked and opened his mouth to say something but shut it and shook his head. Somehow, he just knew that this… incident… was tied to the Moon Duo, and admittedly the other Scouts', inability to enter a fight without giving themselves away via a loud and unnecessary introduction. The first time, it might be seen as an odd approach of inciting fear into the enemy but now, somewhere over the fifties-range of numbers, it was just plain idiotic. He had no idea how Serena and Rini had switched ages but he knew that this could have been far worse than what it was.

They could have been killed.

And it would have been his fault, for not teaching them…

No.

He wouldn't let that happen.

"I'll go get Midoriko." He gave them a leveled stare. "And later, when this is fixed, we're having a little discussion about your inability to comprehend the word stealth."

Shiro secretly smiled to himself. Oh yes, his little brother was back.

--

Midoriko stared silently, her arms crossed under her chest and head cocked slightly to the side as she looked upon the cursed duo before her. She walked in a slow circle around them, occasionally nodding her head at something only she could see or understand. Standing before them once more, Midoriko leaned down at looked deeply into Rini's eyes, earning an embarrassed flush from the suddenly teenaged girl. She repeated this with Serena and, sighing to herself, sat down upon the couch opposite the duo.

"It's dark magic alright, but nothing I've ever seen." She said. "It's not tied to any one element though it does lean towards Darkness… It doesn't seem to affect their natural abilities as Sailor Scouts if they were able to stay transformed…"

"But why didn't Pegasus come when I called for him?" asked Rini, earning a shrug from the white-haired mage.

"I know nothing of the relationship you two share nor the means of the actual summoning." Completely oblivious of the girl's sudden nervousness, Midoriko continued. "It could be that Pegasus did hear you but didn't recognize you as yourself. It's not as though most people suddenly age over half-a-decade." She sighed and looked straight at them with all the serious air that came from being a doctor.

"I will try and study the spell as much as I can but you both must realize something. This magic, whatever it is, is not natural. Magic comes in all kinds of affinities as you and your friends demonstrate. This magic is an unnatural mixture of these magics and, from what I can tell… it appears that the main strand there…" Midoriko tapped Rini's forehead and frowned. "I cannot tell if it's the chronal displacement from your travel through the timestream but it looks to me that the primary force behind this magic is necromancy."

"And… that's bad, right?" asked Serena.

"Very." Midoriko leaned back, crossing her arms once more. "It's the blackest magic I know of. All magic has a branch aptly named with the latin phrase befitting it. Geomancy, for example, means earth-magic. Necromancy itself is a very dangerous and forbidden branch because of what it primarily focuses upon."

"What's the focus?" asked Rini, immensely curious. She never heard of any differences in magic before.

"Yeah, Miss Midoriko, don't hold us in suspense."

"It is not suspense that makes me hesitant Miss Tsukino." Midoriko spared the chibified girl a harsh glare. "It is my desire to not place needless fear into you and your time-traveling daughter here but if you wish me to be blunt about it I will.

"Necromancy is the art of the dead."

--

"Do you really think Miss Midoriko can help them, Eiji?" asked Lita. She and the other girls were sitting in the dining room with the boys sharing some light after-dinner snacks. The promised pair were sitting side-by-side as was Shiro and Rei while Mina and Takuya, who still snickered to himself once and a while, were sitting across from each other. Ami and Morisato were as well but weren't really focusing on each other, Morisato embarrassed by his big-mouth and Ami with her inability to cope with the idea that anyone, even Morisato, would find her of all people sexy. Shiisa was leaning against the kitchen counter, a cup of coffee in his hands. Personally, he'd rather be training but someone had to make sure Takuya didn't end up collapsing a lung.

Eiji nodded. "Her specialty is White Magic, so she's the most qualified."

"You've mentioned that before," stated Rei. "White Magic, just what is that?" Ami suddenly lost her embarrassment in favor of gaining more knowledge.

"Magic comes in three family groups." Shiisa explained. "White, Black, and Red and those three and furthered divided by elemental affinities which consist of the ten elements of life."

"Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Ice, Wood, Metal, Lightning, Light, and Darkness." Shiro supplied.

"Quite." Eiji deadpanned. Even with proof of such sitting literally beside him, Eiji still didn't quite believe in magic. Oh, he believed that the girls had a special kind of power all to their own, but nothing that couldn't be properly explained as Shiisa was doing. Sort of…

"What's the difference though? Between the three families I mean." Ami asked.

"Black magic, contrary to its name, focuses primarily on battle-spells; magic that, even at its weakest, could severely injure someone if not kill them outright. White magic is the exact opposite, focusing more on healing and proctection and Red is a blend between the two though the strength behind the spells is weaker."

"So, does that mean Midoriko can undo the spell?" asked Mina.

"Honestly?" Shiisa shrugged. "I haven't the foggiest."

"This is a different world with different rules," said Eiji, trying to keep the seriousness in the conversation alive despite his teacher's attempts at otherwise. "For all we know, she could end up turning them into a pair of rabbits by mistake."

--

The man was young and old, standing just a decade or two away from middle-age yet having a wisdom beyond such years shining in his sapphire-blue eyes. His hair, tied back in a loose ponytail on his back, was as black as a moonless midnight yet shined with the stars. He was dressed in an ordinary tuxedo seemingly made of paladin metal for its luster was like that of polished gold while his shirt and gloves were the red of roses. Atop his head was a laurel made of silver leaves with a large red robe adorning his back, a sign of royalty perhaps?

He stood off to the side in the expanse of the lands of Elysion, the world of dreams for the people of this strand. He was there and yet he was nothing more than a ghost, a wraith that could only witness the dreams of the Elysion realm and not, in part, take action of his own. Not that he truly wanted to of course. This was not his realm and certainly not his dreamers.

Still, it was truly thanks to the spell cast upon this dispelled little pink-haired one that he was able to find them. His realm was large, sometimes too large and the possibility of those slipping through the cracks was not entirely impossible. Though it occurred rarely, and some of those that fell more than deserved to be forgotten, he was not a vindictive man by nature and those like them, they who sacrificed everything they had to a cause that was already lost long before they were born, he was their guardian.

--

_("My sons…")_

"… Huh?" Eiji slowly opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. Beside him, the other Riders, minus Shiisa and Midoriko, were slowly wakening and standing up in a hilly field of green. All of them were dressed in their nightclothes and were all quite confused as to what was going on.

"What the hell kind of shit dream is this? Get out of my dreams, Akichi!" Takuya growled at Morisato, looking ready to strangle the shorter boy. Takuya had been having a wonderful dream and now it was turning into a freaking nightmare!

"Hey! You get out of mine, Tak-kun!" Damn it, he had been so close! He practically had the hover-car right in his hands and then—POOF!—here he was getting Takuya's infamous temper thrown at his face.

"I don't believe we are dreaming…" Shiro spoke softly, which braught a pause to the duo's argument. The older boy was looking around the hill in confusion. "I… Is it just me or is this place rather familiar?"

"Now that you mention it." Eiji looked behind them at the forest filled with tall trees where emerald shadows cast an eerie, yet welcoming glow. Past those woods was… someplace… someplace he hadn't been to in years.

Just what that place was, he could not recall, but he wanted to go there nonetheless.

_("No… not yet… you can't come back… until it is finished…")_ The quartet nearly jumped out of their skins at the sudden appearance of the man who had, just mere moments ago, been in Rini's Elysion.

Not that any of them knew that of course.

"Who are you?" asked Eiji, calm as can be as he and the others slid into subtle fighting stances in case the man decided to attack.

The man shook his head, his ghostly form blurring with motion. _("I've not the time to talk… you need me…")_

"Oh? And what makes you say that, Old Man?" asked Takuya before he blinked in surprise. He never called anyone but Shiisa-sensei an old man and that was before said old man beated him soundly on their first spar. If the others were surprised, they didn't show it as their eyes remained focused on the man.

_("You cannot enter… the tent, can you not?")_ The ghost smiled at their narrowed eyes, _("I can help you with that…")_

"What would you gain from helping us?" asked Shiro, a slight bit suspicious. His powers weren't working here, wherever here was, and he could not tell if the man was legit or not.

_("I… would get my children… back…")_ He looked at them with a sad smile on his face. They didn't realize what he meant or rather, what they meant to him. It was the same as Helios felt to the children of his Elysion. It was a fatherly instinct that made them protect with everything they had and, until recent years, never had the horned guardian ever truly feel the emotion of love for another. The man was proud that Helios had discovered his soul mate but here, now, the man had to protect his own children before he could return to his own wife and soulmate.

"… How exactly do you plan on helping us?" asked Morisato. Technology, he could understand and, at times, enhance, but magic? Why wasn't Midoriko here when you needed her?

_("With this…")_ The man held up a seemingly ordinary globe made of transparent glass. _("All you must do… is touch its surface… and you'll be… secured…")_ The man's image fizzled out for a moment and he suddenly looked afraid. _("Please, hurry! … There's not much time left…!")_

Morisato moved to touch the orb but his wrist was caught in Eiji's vicelike grip. "Don't. Our powers don't work here and we don't know if he's telling the truth or not. For all we know, he could be with them."

_("Are you so untrusting now, Draco-kun…?")_ The man's eyes seemed to dim. Eiji himself stiffened and he glared at the man.

"What. Did you call me?"

_("Draco-kun… my hot-tempered little ruffian…")_ The man smiled warmly at the memory that played in his mind. Of a younger Eiji who took no crap from anyone and would take any challenge head-on no matter the risk.

"…" Eiji released Morisato's wrist. "Touch the orb." It wasn't a command, not with the way it sounded. No, it was more like a request. A request that the other three followed with the ease of trained soldiers. With a silent explosion of force, the group was hurled through the air, landing painfully on their backs unconscious even in their world of dreams.

Had they been awake, they would have seen the glorious city standing where an ominous forest once towered and a man more familiar now than ever before had he still been standing there. For now, as their dreaming bodies faded back to the waking world, a quartet of feathers, a myriad of colors, fell gently from the sky to land upon their hearts.

In the sky, one could hear a cawing laugh of joy.

* * *

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_Takuya:_ How the hell did I get roped into this shit? If I wanted to do volunteer work, I'd be picking up trash at the park not helping with some stupid "Coming of Age" Ceremony. What the? Mina, what the heck are you and the others doing here? You want to volunteer as well? Uh, if you want, be my guest. Hey, who are the four with you? They look awfully familiar… What the hell is up with those hairstyles?

The Grand Reveal; The Amazoness' Bewilderment!

* * *

A/N: Originally, I was going to write the interaction between Rini and Helios but seeing as that was a great piece of work right there storywise, I'd rather not delve totally into copyright infringement. I'm sure that episode is posted somewhere on the net or at least a synopsis.

A/N2: To apologize for my lack of updates, I give to you another bout of Kamen Rider Daikaiju information! Oh, and Paladin? The answer to your question? A big ol' YES.

CAST-ON SYSTEM

The Cast-On System is what allows the Kamen Riders to access a portion of their kaiju's power and harness it through parts of their form, which further enhance their own abilities. To activate the COS, the Rider must turn their K-Zector around a complete 180 degrees, which activates the hologram projectors located on various sections of the armor itself. The holograms themselves are a double-edged sword in that, while they are made of hard light and leave no lasting mark upon the Rider, whatever wound delivered there, while not actually appearing, will be felt by the Rider twice-over. The COS itself is not immeasurable. At minimum use of power, it can last for roughly thirty minutes but if a Rider were to go all-out… The recharge time also varies from one hour up to a whole day; again depending on the amount of energy used by the Rider.

GOJIRA

Godzilla's dorsal spines and tail.

ANGUIRUS

Anguirus' spiked carapace.

RODAN

Rodan's wings and talons.

GAMERA

Gamera's arms and shell.


	19. The Grand Reveal

Me: (Humming Mission Impossible Theme) Okay, I'm nearly there, just got to get past-

Mewtwo: What are you doing?

Me: Mewtwo... you're going to tell on me aren't you?

Mewtwo: As amusing as it is to see Bahamut act like a mother hen, no. Your injuries are healing alright and I see no problem with you walking about.

Me: Thanks. If you need me, I'll be with me wife and son. I've got to convince her launching Flip into space via a cannon ball, is not a good idea.

Mewtwo: Good luck with that.

Me: Thanks, I'm going to need it.

* * *

**DISCLAIMERS: Don't own what's not my own.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

The Grand Reveal; The Amazoness' Bewilderment!

Takuya wasn't quite sure how the hell he ended up doing this with the others, but he had a vauge idea that karma, being the witch that it is, was paying him back in spades for his making fun of Pinky and Meatball-head. Really, who could blame him though? It was the funniest thing he'd ever seen and the situation that arose the next morning was a near match. Really, Serena should have worn larger pajamas in case she reversed back to her original age and Takuya had to admit, the look on Rei's face when Serena mumbled about being sorry for spilling tea on her favorite manga and to please stop pinching her was priceless.

It was a few days later that Takuya found himself beside his fellow Riders in Juban Civic Hall. Eiji had a month off from his job to 'recuperate' from his 'accident', Morisato had the week off since Ms. Natsumi had closed down the auto-shop for a while as to go and visit her parents, and Shiro was there to keep on eye on the both of them. As for Takuya himself, he was there to experience what a 'real' job was like. So what if he kept his job a secret from the others? It wasn't like Kusanagi was any different! Sure, he had the money to prove it but that didn't mean Takuya didn't have a job of his own to worry about!

Of course, it wasn't so bad with the girls there to help. For some reason they had been awfully clingy to the Riders, not that you would hear any of them complaining. Perhaps it was because of the BioMerge System or maybe a sort of subtle instinct that was telling them that the final fight was drawing near. Whatever it was, the boys were glad of the company, which, as it would turn out, would come back to them in spades.

A quartet of girls, a quartet that Takuya was strangely familiar with though he could not recall from where, had shown up to help with the volunteering. While their help wasn't unappreciated, the boys couldn't help but wonder at the girls' gymnastic skills. It wasn't unheard of for anyone to have such skills but the level they displayed… Too bad there was too much to be done for the boys to hear the quartet explain they hailed from the circus for that surely would have put them on proper edge and keep them from getting to close.

--

VesVes stared up at the sign that was currently hanging from a cord up near the rafters of the stage, the kanji for "Maturity Ceremony" written across its white surface. A sudden cry of alarm brought the emerald-haired girl's attention to the gurny that was not only loose but turning rapidly, causing the sign to drop at alarming speed. Biting back a curse, VesVes rushed forward and grabbed a hold of the rope alongside Rini. The two struggled against the weight of the sign but it wasn't any good; they weren't strong enough.

"No good… It's too heavy!" grunted VesVes. A sudden jerk and the pull of the rope stopped. The two blinked before looking up to see Eiji holding the rope firmly with one hand, a frown on his face.

"You two alright?" he asked. At their surprised nods he smiled before looking down at the gurny. He couldn't let go of it to reach it.

"Here," said Lita, having arrived at the same time as Eiji and seeing his dilemma. "I'll put this back into place." With a small bit of strain, she slowly rotated it back up into place with Eiji standing by her side in case she needed the help. He would have offered to take over but he was too busy being proud of how strong Lita was to really notice.

"Lita is very powerful and Eiji is too!" Rini explained, seeing VesVes stunned look.

The sign was placed back with ease and the mechanism was better secured with a forceful push from Eiji. "There," he said, "that ought to do it." He looked at Lita and smiled. "Good job, sweetheart."

She blushed and rubbed the back of her head, playing with the ponytail that came out through the back of her cap. "Aw, shucks… Everyone tells me I'm superwoman or something."

"That was amazing!" VesVes said, completely honest, looking between the two with a strange look of awe on her face. Lita didn't fail to notice that VesVes' eyes were drawn more towards Eiji as well as the small pink flush on her face. She smiled, deciding to allow the girl her crush. What harm could it cause, really?

--

CereCere sighed in frustration. Really, she was the Mistress of Flowers and she couldn't get this bouqet to look nice at all! Bad enough that Rei's was so pretty but this was just embarrassing, her sisters would never let her live this down.

"Do you require assistance Miss?" Shiro had finished his, which was surprisingly better than Rei's own, and had noticed her having trouble. She raised an eyebrow in surprise but gestured for him to take a look for himself. Shiro stood beside her and looked down at the flowers thoughtfully for moment before rearranging them around until it was a match to the others. Even the ones that CereCere had unwittingly injured were suddenly looking bright and healthy.

"What? How'd you do that?" she asked, stunned that he had such skill.

Shiro's smile was a touch sad but his lime-green eyes had a fondness in them. "An old friend taught me a lot about flowers. I'm nowhere near her level of skill but I like to think I honor her by remembering what she taught me."

With that said, he went back to helping Rei moving the bouquets to their proper place in the Hall while CereCere stared off after him. She smiled before shaking her head. He was kind of cute, but not at all like that really tall one of the group. Speaking of Takuya…

--

"I thought I saw a pussy cat… I did, I did see a pussy cat!"

"… Your lack of maturity knows no bounds does it Runt?" Takuya all but glowered at the snickering Morisato, who had a slightly deflated balloon in his hands. Of course, with the helium in his lungs, the Akichi did sound rather like a certain yellow canary.

"I want one…" Takuya's eyelids sunk slightly as he glanced up at the pouting PallaPalla, who was looking at one of the finished balloons with a childish air about her. Holding back a disgusted sigh,Takuya watched as Morisato handed her one of the balloons, a baby blue one, with a warm smile. He made a shushing motion with his finger.

"Just don't tell anyone, okay?" He smiled.

--

"What's your dream?"

"What?" Eiji turned his head to look over his shoulder at JunJun. It was the next day and the ceremony was doing well, much to the surprise of the Riders. The true reason they had volunteered was because of their suspicion of it becoming a likely target for the Dead Moon. Thus far, their worries were being proven false and the boys themselves were helping out as stagehands and gofors. Right now, Eiji had been secretly watching Lita as she was helping Ami with the performers.

"Your dream. You've got one don'tcha?" Eiji subdued the desire to roll his eyes. As a commanding officer, being spoken to in that tone of voice was an invitation to serve out some serious penalties. Still, she was a girl and a child at that… He couldn't really tell her the truth but then, didn't he have a dream now? No, no, he couldn't embarrass Lita like that… still…

"To be a police officer I guess." He shrugged. That was what he wanted to be as a child.

"A cop? Why? Do you like getting shot at or something?" she asked. Eiji's eyebrow twitched.

"I know of such pain and no, I'm not eager to repeat the experience." He looked on towards Lita, his arms crossed over his chest. "Look out there, tell me, what do you see?"

"Just a bunch of boring adults."

Eiji couldn't help but chuckle at that. "True, but that's not all that I see. I see people, eager to go out and make something of themselves in this world and while I'm sure many of them will turn out alright, there are those that will try to make their own lives better by bringing harm to others. It is my duty to stop them."

"Your duty?" JunJun snorted. "What are you, a knight?"

No, not a knight. A knight was the one with a happily ever after, where the dragon was slain and victory was assured. No, he was anything but a knight. "… You are young so you wouldn't begin to understand. You've not experienced things in the adult world as I have. It's a place where dreams can come true and yet your worst nightmares can spring upon you when you least suspect it. As father once said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." I will do no such thing as stand by and let innocent people suffer when I have the power to stop it."

With that said, Eiji walked off towards Lita, greeting her warmly, as JunJun stared at him from behind a confused frown on her face.

--

"Eh?" Shiro looked up from where he sat down beside the curtain. "Beg your pardon, but what did you say?"

"Your dream. What is it?" VesVes repeated.

"Hrmmm…" Now didn't this sound familiar. Ah well, she was a child and if she wanted to know he could, at least, tell her of one such dream he had back as a child.

"I guess, to become a monk, perhaps maybe a priest at a temple. It matters not which one so long as I help those who ask for it."

"You'd waste your time on something that doesn't even exist?" she asked, completely incredulous. And here she thought Shiro was actually cool!

"We each have our own beliefs. So many gods and higher powers it's hard to choose which is real and which isn't. I like to think that my choice is what makes my faith real to me."

"But how do you know? You've never seen any proof have you?"

"Tell me, have you ever seen a thousand yen?"

"No."

Shiro smiled. "Well then, if you haven't seen, it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist now does it. My gods are there though at times I have had my doubts but I hold strong in my belief because, sometimes, that's all we truly have in the end." Shiro nodded politely to her before moving to follow Rei and Rini down into the basement. VesVes stared after him before shaking her head in resignation though she was smiling.

Shiro turned his head just slightly, his eyes glowing a faint molten orange. Yes, it was as Eiji suspected… but… what on earth was that… that thing shadowing her? Shiro didn't know; he'd have to wait until when they chose to strike to discover just what it was that gave power to the Amazoness Quartet.

--

Morisato blinked and watched in amusement as PallaPalla mimicked him. "Yes? Is there something I can help you with?"

"You're kinda cute… like a teddy-bear!" She announced giving him a tight hug around the waist. Morisato sweatdropped. He'd been compared to many things, most of them rude via Takuya, but a teddy bear? Child or not, that was just plain silly.

"Okay, I'll go with that… can you let go now?" She did so and continued to beam up at him and Morisato suppressed the urge to sigh. Right hair color, wrong girl. He knew he deserved it but really, couldn't he at least get a hug or two himself from Ami? Morisato went back to checking over the list of performers and times of said performances Ami had given him.

"What's you dream, Teddy-chan?" Morisato's shoulders stiffened the slightest bit. '… Aniki was right…'

"Hmm, I guess I'd want to be a automobile designer/maker."

"Huh? Why?" PallaPalla blinked a few times, standing up on her toes to look more into Morisato's eyes. The scarred boy backed up a step and chuckled.

"I've got quite the imagination as my friends are so frequent in telling me and I've got the talent. I don't suppose you've had a doll or two of your own have you?" She nodded, confused. "Well, I'm sure you've never really thought about it, but I'm sure the person who made that doll is happy to have made it because someone else loves their creation as much as they do." Morisato shrugged. "It's as simple as that really. Ah, Ami!" Morisato waved at the bluenette, walking over to her with a few questions about the list, leaving PallaPalla behind staring rather forlornly at his back.

For the first time, PallaPalla began to feel something that none of her sisters had ever truly felt.

Guilt.

--

"My dream?" Takuya snorted with a hint of disdain. "Why do you care to know?"

CereCere shrugged rather cutely, much to Takuya's disgust. "Just curious that's all."

'_Hrmph, curious my sword… what are you really after?_' Takuya knew such a question was innocent once upon a time but now, in this time of war, it was a loaded gun. He'd have to be careful with how he answered and he'd watch this girl carefully, just as Kusanagi instructed.

"A pilot. Fighter jet, commercial, don't care much on the specific so long as I can fly though I ain't flyin' any damn choppers." What was the point of flying if all you could hear was the constant cutting-sound of the helicopter blades keeping the plane aloft?

"Why on earth would you want to do that?" If CereCere had expected anything from Takuya, it certainly wasn't that.

"I like to fly." Takuya grunted, glaring down from amongst the rafters of the stage, making sure the ropes and pullies were still secured. "Haven't you ever felt that feeling of… I don't know… acceleration? That one moment where nothing can pull you down and you're free to soar as long as the moment lasts?"

CereCere smiled somewhat fondly. "Yes, I do. My sisters and I are a part of the trapeze in the circus."

"Circus, eh?" Takuya scowled slightly. "Runaways?"

"No," CereCere's smile faded into a frown, sad or not Takuya couldn't tell. "It's always been just us for as long as we can remember." She laughed a little. "Though sometimes I wish it were just me."

Takuya looked at her before making a rude noise. "Sure you do." He stood and started to walk away but stopped. "By the way? Go for lilys the next time you're going to try and impress me." Takuya walked down the stairs towards where he had seen Mina last, ignoring CereCere's shocked and angered stuttering. Once he was sure that she was safe, Takuya had to find Eiji. Fast

'_Circus freaks…_'

--

Sailor Jupiter silently sent a silent apology to Eiji for not following in his desire to attack first, introductions later, but really, they couldn't help it at times. Now, however, she was beginning to see what he and the other Riders had been talking about. If they had attacked the Amazoness Quartet straight away, Sailor Moon and Sailor Mini-Moon wouldn't be in the bind they were in. How the Quartet managed to surround the Moon Duo, Sailor Jupiter didn't know but now they were stuck in a stalemate. None of the others could attack the Quartet without possibly hitting their friends. It was rather fortunate that their Remless, some sort of electric catfish, had shortcircuited itself and was completely knocked out at the moment.

"Whoa, don't move a muscle." JunJun was smirking, already aware of their imminent victory. "If you make one false move…"

"With this ball…" PallaPalla held up her Amazon Stone as her sisters did the same.

"You'll no longer be able to…" VesVes' smirk was a mirror copy of JunJun's.

"To see your friends again…" CereCere smiled serenly.

"I'd say the same for you too, witch." Rodan's katana appeared beside CereCere's neck.

"We don't feel like killing you." Anguirus tapped his spiked club on PallaPalla's shoulder.

"But if we have to, to save our friends…" Gamera's arm-spikes lightly touched the VesVes' back.

"We will do so." Gojira's cannon was perfectly level with JunJun's head. He looked slowly over the frozen Quartet before his eyes, hidden behind his red visor, fell upon CereCere who looked as though the Devil himself was standing right before her. "It remembers you…"

That was more than enough to send all four of the Quartet flying through the air on their Power Balls. As they disappeared out of sight, their Remless slowly rose to the attack only to have his human half destroyed by a combined assault from Gojira and Gamera. Slashing his arm down to rid the thin amount of smoke from his cannon, Gojira looked towards Sailor Moon. "You alright?"

"Ye-Yeah…" She stuttered. "That was kinda scary…"

"Psychology." Anguirus grinned behind his helmet. "Half the battle is striking fear into your enemy, when that is won, so then is the battle."

"Which reminds me…" Gojira shot a glare at the other Scouts. "What did we talk about introductions?"

They had the good grace to look embarrassed, if not a little bit ashamed.

--

Eiji slowly walked home with his fellow Riders walking beside him. The ceremony was over, their lesson to the Scouts pushed a slight bit further, and another unfamiliar Remless was vanquished… It was the start of a good week. "So… what did you lot learn? Were those girls the Quartet?"

Shiro sighed and nodded. "If they're not then they are something else entirely. From what I Saw, they have the power."

"They asked about our dreams, or at least the flower one did ta me." Takuya grunted.

"The young one asked me." Morisato said.

"The red-head asked the same of me," said Shiro.

"The punkish one did the same." Eiji nodded. "And they disappeared before the Quartet showed up and never came back."

"The pansy mentioned they work at the circus." Takuya growled. "If that isn't evidence enough for you, you got high standards Kusanagi." That brought a pause to the other Riders.

"Really?" asked Morisato, somewhat sadly. "Then… they really are the Amazoness Quartet…"

"Oh please, don't sound so disappointed." Takuya groused. "It's not like it changes anything!"

The two began another one of their vocal debates and Shiro, sighing to himself, moved closer to Eiji. "There's still one question left to be answered, Little Brother. Why did you suspect them in the first place?"

Eiji glanced at the older boy for a moment before continuing on, Takuya and Morisato following but still in their debate, and answered Shiro, "A side-effect of the BioMerge I suppose… Whatever magic they used to keep themselves from being recognized doesn't quite work on me enough as it should." He smirked slightly. "Their hair was a dead giveaway."

"Hmm, I suppose it is." Shiro agreed. "Well, we know where our enemy's headquarters is and we have the means of storming it. Are we going to tell the girls?"

"… No, not yet. If I recall, tomorrow is Rini's marathon race is tomorrow. I'd like to see how she does." Shiro smiled knowingly.

"In other words, you want to see how well your training pays off on your little student." Eiji winced and shot Shiro a warning look before looking back at the duo behind them to see they were now arguing about hair colors, natural or otherwise.

"I haven't done that much. Only teach her the basics of martial arts. Lita was the one who asked."

"As did she." Shiro nodded. "But it's not so much that they asked more that you accepted, Little Brother. Tell me, what's changed your mind?"

"Honestly? A little birdy told me." Eiji chuckled at Shiro's confused look before looking back at Takuya and Morisato. "Would you two shut it and hurry up? I'd like to get home sometime this century."

* * *

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_Eiji:_ It's begun. With spiderwebs covering the city in a shroud of darkness and Darien severely ill, our mutal enemy has begun their final assault and the girls finally learn the truths we've kept from them. Let us hope we have the power to take down the Dead Moon Circus once and for all. Get ready, this war is coming to its final climax! Execute! Kaiju Spirit Evolution!

The Nightmare's Beginning

* * *

Author's Notes: And here's some more just cause I'm feeling generous! That and I know there's got to be a few questions about it.

BIOMERGE SYSTEM

The BioMerge System is one of the most dangerous abilities the Kamen Riders have at their disposal both for their enemies… and themselves. The BioMerge System is a strange blend of hologram and DNA based technologies. When activated, it gives the Rider the incomplete form of the kaiju they represent albeit at a smaller scale. This form is akin to that of a wraith, there and yet not at the same time. This leads to one of the many hazards of using the BioMerge System in that, if the Rider, or kaiju as the case more often is, doesn't consume enough energy to regain its proper stature and a fully corporeal form, the Rider's lifespan will be shortened as the kaiju feeds on their own energy. Being in the form of the kaiju is also dangerous in two ways; first, if the Rider is not properly prepared beforehand, the spirit of the kaiju will take over and their consciousness will be shoved back into a corner until they change back. Second, even when the Rider is prepared beforehand, the personality of the daikaiju begins to bleed into the Rider's mind until, finally, there is nothing left but the monster.


	20. The Nightmare’s Beginning

Me: What's up, people? The final trilogy is here! Are you ready?

Muses: Yeah...!

Me: I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!

Muses: YEAH!

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

The Nightmare's Beginning

_"**Helios… Exactly whose dream ARE you hiding inside?**"_ Queen Nehelenia stared up at the tightly bound form of Helios' body, devoid of life and clothe, wrapped instead in large nets of webbing. _"**Your body has fallen into my hands and you no longer have any means to go against me… so irritating!**"_ Nehelnia's teeth clenched tightly, her reptilian eyes shining in the darkness of her mirror world. _"**This chance that I get only once in several centuries… I no longer have any time to waste, and yet…!**"_ Queen Nehelenia turned tightly about to face her sole window to the outside world. _"**Zirconia!**"_

The old ringmaster was there in an instant without her usual flair, looking immensely worried.

_"**When exactly are you going to find the owner of the Golden Mirror!?**"_

"Eh-hem… My Queen…" Zirconia started to explain.

_"**I can't leave it in your hands any longer!**"_ Nehelenia spoke venomously, moving forward so that her hand touched the glass of her mirror and slowly began to push it past until it was completely outside in the real world. The Dead Moon Queen started to smile only to shriek in pain as fire lit itself upon her hand; the light of the sun burning her with ease despite the darkness of the circus tent.

"Lady Nehelenia!" Zirconia exclaimed, concerned for her master.

_"**How irritating…!**"_ Nehelenia held her hand tight, glaring at Zirconia as thoug she were the one responsible. '_The light that fills this world does away with all the powers of darkness inside my body… If only I could get out of this place, I could make sure all of those from the White Moon are dead once and for all!_'

_"**DAMN IT!**"_ Nehelenia shrieked, dark magic sparkling around her. Zirconia watched open-mouthed, concerned over what her master would do next when she suddenly became aware of the vast multitudes of spiders swarming in the shadows, creating strands of… darkness?

_"**This world filled with accursed light… Become that of shadow befitting me, the queen of the New Moon!**"_

--

"How do you think she's doing?" asked Morisato.

Eiji scoffed. "If she's got her mother's energy, she'll finish first."

The boys, plus one Darien Shields and Diana the kitten, were waiting at the finish line of the marathon to see how Rini would finish. Contrary to the girls, the boys knew the true importance came from how the race was finished not how it started and all were eager to see how Rini would finish for their own reasons. Eiji's reason as well as Shiro's has already been said and it's quite obvious for Darien and Diana, but why were Takuya and Morisato interested?

They had a wager and we shall leave it at that.

Shiro nudged Eiji lightly. "Don't try to play the tough guy now, Little Brother. You're hoping she'll finish first as much as her parents are."

Eiji remained silent. It was true that while he didn't have permission, or the desire for that matter, to teach the time-traveller his style of martial arts, he couldn't simply stand by and watch her attempts to fight any longer. True, it was Lita who really pushed him into it, seeing how easily he beat her even when he held himself back and Rini's own request for the training that sealed the deal. Of course, this request came after he and all the Riders, the Elders included, lectured the girls about their inability to use silent tactics in a fight and relying to much on their magic and not enough on their physical prowess.

So Rini joined Lita in her co-training with him and still Eiji kept his word to his Sensei and to himself. He helped to improve the skills that his girlfriend showed, not that she truly needed improvement. Why she always blushed and looked embarrassed by it, Eiji didn't know but he thought she looked cute when she blushed so he kept his questions to himself. To Rini, he taught her the basic stances of his style, which incorporated the five styles of kung fu.

At least, in the beginning level…

Thus far, their really hadn't been much improvement from the pink-haired girl save for better reflexes and less bouts of clumsiness. While he did say that it did not matter how she did in this race, Eiji spoke in a half-truth. True, it mattered not how well she did now as she was still a child but the outcome would change depending on her place in this marathon. How he would teach her mattered entirely on this race.

He sincerely hoped she'd at least fall under the top ten.

Sixth would be cool.

Tenth would be a disappointment.

"Oh, here she comes." Darien smiled proudly. The others looked for themselves and saw, much to their surprise, where Rini was standing in the race.

"Small Lady is in first place!" Diana was practically beaming with joy.

Takuya's eyes narrowed. "Not for long, that girl behind her is catching up."

Rini noticed this for herself and, taking a quick breath of air, increased her speed just enough so that she broke the tape for the finish line, coming in first place in the elementary school marathon. Completely exhausted, Rini collapsed to her knees, gasping for air, as the boys, plus one kitten, walked over to her. It should be noted that several large bills exchanged hands between Morisato and Takuya, neither of them looking smug but still victorious in their winnings.

"You did your best, didn't you?" Darien had the fatherly pride down to a tee.

"Way to go, Small Lady!" cheered Diana.

Rini smiled, face flushed from her run. "Darien… Diana…" A bottle of cold water was held before her. Looking up, she saw a smiling Eiji looking down at her. "Sensei…"

If anything, Eiji's smile grew. She was learning and she did better than he ever expected. "Drink up kid. You earned it."

--

Even after she had changed out of her gym outfit and into her school uniform, Rini was still being praised about her victory in the race, especially by Takuya though she didn't know why he was so happy about it…

"You were amazing, Small Lady! Nothing less from the future princess!" Diana was practically cheering Rini from Darien's arms.

"Oh, Diana…" Rini's face was still flushed but the boys had a good idea that it was more from embarrassment than anything else.

"Now, let's hurry!" Darien said. "Serena and the others are waiting over at the Crown Café." Darien smiled when he gasped as agony unlike anything he ever felt before grasped his heart tightly in a sharp vice, nearly sending him to his knees.

"Sir Darien!" gasped Diana.

"Darien? What's wrong…?" Rini asked, concerned.

The other boys were aware but not entirely for they though had walked past whatever it was that had struck such a blow. For them though, it wasn't the same kind of pain that Darien felt, more like a form of detachment from the world around them like everything was gone into a void of nothing but negative emotions. It was quick, like a surprise punch in the stomach, and it faded just as quickly but it still had them on edge. They didn't cry out or fall like Darien did.

They were used to pain.

However, unnoticed by them or anyone else, a strange ornament rather like a feather seemed to glow just briefly over their chests and whatever strands of webbing that was nearest to them lost their potency to harm them ever again.

"I just tripped… I'm alright." Darien reassured the two girls.

"Are you sure?" Rini asked.

"Yeah…" Darien slowly pushed himself to stand upright. "No need to worry! Now, lets's go!" He started off with Rini following half-a-step behind him. The Riders exchanged serious looks before following, their eyes scanning the scene around them but not even the eyes of Shiro and Takuya could see the strand of webbing that rested unbroken from where Darien stood or the new strand that appeared in place just beside it.

--

"Well that was fun to watch." Takuya smirked while Morisato groaned.

"No, no it was not."

They had been waiting for nearly two hours for the girls to show up and when they finally did… Needless to say, Rini lost her temper with them and made Serena pay for her and Darien's share of their meal. She would have made Serena pay for the Riders as well but they were quick to pay for their own meal before Rini could even use them to further add guilt on the girls. However, to further add punishment on them, Rini decided that, seeing as it was getting late, that she wanted to go home and none of the girls could stay and eat.

They were just now walking down the stairs barely five minutes after they had come up them in the first place. The Riders were already at the bottom waiting for the girls as they were coming out after paying for Rini's and Darien's lunch.

"Oh, brother… Why did we come all the way out here?" asked Mina.

"It's all Serena's fault." Rei stated with practiced ease. "You were the one who wanted to stop by the arcades for a little bit!"

"Rei, you tagged along, too!" exclaimed Serena, knowing they shared a portion of the blame.

"Here we go again…" Darien chuckled to himself as he started down after them when the agony from before came back with twice the force. This time, Darien couldn't stop himself from collapsing fully and nearly fell onto his face had he not grabbed the stairwell bar.

Having heard Darien's gasp of pain, Serena had turned and was already moving up the stairs to him with Rini following close behind. "Darien? Whats wrong?"

"Ah, it's nothing…" Darien smiled through the pain.

"You're acting somewhat strangely today, Darien. You did this earlier, too." Rini stated, knowing how Darien liked to cover up his problems from Serena.

"Earlier!?" Serena gasped.

"No, it really is nothing…" Darien pushed himself to his feet, a silvery strand shining on his chest, catching Serena's eyes.

"This is…?"

The girls and guys, having gone on ahead and becoming suddenly aware of their absence, were quick to return.

"Darien, what's wrong?" asked Rei.

"A spider's thread…?" whispered Serena. The boys, standing down at the base of the stairs, stiffened. The same thought of the same person passed through their head.

'_Espiga?_'

"A spider's thread again?" Shiro's eyes widened and he looked at Rei with molten eyes. No, she was fine but Darien… there was a blackness spreading in his chest that shouldn't be there.

"We're really comng across them a lot today." Mina said, gazing at the thread in Serena's hand.

"It is strange after all…" murmured Ami.

"Why?" asked Lita. "It's not like spiders are that uncommon."

"But in this time of year?" asked Eiji.

Elizabeth suddenly stepped out from the Café. "Oh, what's wrong, guys? All standing around there like that…"

"No, it's just something with spiders…" said Serena.

Elizabeth's eyes widened and she gasped. "Spiders? AGAIN?!" She ducked back inside. "I'm so sick of this!" She came out with a small broom and dustpan in her hands. "Where, where is it?"

"Elizabeth… what do you mean, again?" Serena asked the stressed-out waitress.

"This is the fifth one today!" She exclaimed. "I feel like it's useless to get rid of one after another!"

"It is strange, after all…" Ami walked up to Serena, holding pout her hand. "Serena, can I have that thread? I'm going to analyze it a bit after I get home." Serena wordlessly handed her the thread.

"Hey…" Mina suddenly spoke up. "Doesn't it seem like it really is getting dark out?"

The sun's light seemed to dim even more with that proclamation as the group looked skywards save for one Takuya Yashima. He was gazing out at the streets with his eyes never blinking, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by the others.

"Takuya?" asked Eiji. "What are you looking at?"

"Spider webs…" His eyes moved slowly up to the sky. "They're spreading…"

Shiro blinked in surprise before looking skyward himself, his sunglasses hiding the molten glow of his eyes from Elizabeth. He couldn't see any spiderwebs but… "Lines of darkness…" Shiro's robotic arm clenched tightly. "He's right, whatever it is, it's spreading."

"Alright, that's it." Eiji quickly moved to stand beside Lita, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. "We are taking you girls home right now."

"Wha-But Eiji!"

"No." He looked into her eyes. "Not until you're safe are you free to argue with me on this. Please."

"… Fine." Lita blushed in embarrassment. '_Darn those eyes…!_'

Shiro was already beside Rei. "I will escort Sir Darien and Ladies Serena and Rini home." He looked at Rei. "Then I'll take you home."

"Hey, I can…" Rei trailed off, noting how tightly his false hand was clenched. She sighed and just nodded. Darien was too tired to really argue and the two bun-heads knew that Shiro wouldn't be argued against. Besides, Shiro did say he was trained as a medic so if Darien had another attack…

"Ami?" Morisato held out his hand imploringly. "Please?" Faintly embarrassed by how he and the boys were acting, the bluenette nodded and accepted Morisato's hand.

"Come on, Mina." Takuya lightly wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I ain't losin' sight of you in this mess."

She didn't care at all. Mina was happy that he was holding her so intimately.

Eiji looked up at Elizabeth. "As soon as you can, go home and stay there. I don't know what's happening but I'm sure the Sailor Scouts and Kamen Riders can handle it."

'_I hope so anyway. What is the Dead Moon up to?_'

--

By nature, Takuya was an early riser even before he gained the K-Zector of Rodan. The phrase pertaining to the early bird fit him well for while he did not go scrounging for food, Takuya would spend the better part of the early morning practicing with his family sword, the Battousai. At random times, Eiji or Shiro would join him, one to spar and the other to watch the sun rising, but today was Takuya's alone.

Thus, he was the first to witness the horrible sight that ravaged his territory.

"Holy shit…" He wasted no time in rousing the others from their slumber and, together, the four stared out into the city that was enraptured by billions upon billions of strands of webbing. Juuban looked like a modern crypt, something that had all four of them on edge for the memories it brought.

"Where's Sensei?" asked Morisato. "Why didn't you wake him or Midoriko?"

"That's the other thing." Takuya stated.

Whatever immunity was blessed upon them was not shared with their elders, both lying in a coma-like sleep in their beds. According to Shiro's Sight, they were alright though whatever magic that was draining the city of light and power was similarly affecting them.

"But why aren't we affected?" asked Morisato. "Was it because of—"

"Whatever it is," interrupted Eiji, "we should be more worried about the girls."

Takuya stepped back into the hallway. "I just tried the phones, the damn lines are down and my cell can't get any reception through all that webbin'."

"That means we can't communicate with the girls," said Shiro. "Do you think their communicators will still work?"

Morisato nodded. "Water Sprite explained it to me; whatever power they use to transform powers their communicators just like our K-Zectors."

"Great," Eiji deadpanned. "That means they are going to head straight to the center of this mess. Let's go."

"Shouldn't we transform?" asked Morisato. "Or at least take the bikes?"

"No." Eiji shook his head, already moving out the door with the others following. "I don't like how quiet this city is. Treat this like a mission, Mori. Our objective is to reach the circus tent without attracting any attention to ourselves, which means no transforming until we've got no other option."

--

"You guys…!" Serena was shocked, nay horrorfied by the sight before her. Ami's Mercury Computer had led them to the circus tent in the middle of the city, the same one they had been to only weeks before. Here now, hanging limply like stringed puppets were the unconscious forms of children of all ages, eyes devoid of light for their Dream Mirrors were no longer residing inside them and were instead resting in a large pile atop and around which four familiar girls stood.

It was the four girls from the Maturity Ceremony, the same ones who had disappeared before…

Apparently, the four girls recognized them as well and were just as surprised by their appearance.

"What in the world are you doing…?" Serena knew, she knew perfectly well what they were doing, but she didn't want to believe it.

"What? This is our job." The pink-haired one spoke with complete aloofness

"Yup, yup!" The blue-haired one smiled wth glee.

"Don't think about getting in our way." The auburn-haired one stated.

"Yeah, if you value your life…" The green-haired smirked.

"That reminds me, we never introduced ourselves." The pink-haired one stated. A golden yellow ball appeared in her hands as her attire change though her hairstyle remained the same as her sisters copied her motions. "CereCere the flower master!"

"PallaPalla, the ball-rider!"

"JunJun, the acrobat."

"VesVes, the beast-tamer."

"The Amazoness Quartet!" Spoke all four of the girls.

The girls gasped in shock and Serena herself looked almost like she was still trying to deny the obvious. "You're kidding, right…? That you guys are our enemies…!"

"Now, it's time to work!" A billiard stick appeared in CereCere's hands as well as the other Amazoness'.

"Stop it!" Serena started to run forward as the Amazoness Quartet aimed at ther Amazon Stones.

"_Colliding Ball!_" The four colored orbs flew straight at Serena's face, causing her to skid to a stop only to watch as the balls ricocheted about like demented ping-pong balls, sending the newest batch of children's Dream Mirrors out into the open.

"What?!" exclaimed VesVes. "None of them are it!?"

"Oh, brother…" moaned JunJun.

"I'm bored of all this!" whined PallaPalla.

"What should we do with this mountain of fake mirrors?" asked VesVes.

"How about we make one giant trash pile out of tehm?" offered CereCere.

Throughout this discussion, Serena's eyes gained a hint of water at the cruelty the Amazoness Quartet displayed, a stark contrast to how they interacted with them before in their human-guises. Serena's hair overshadowed her eyes as her fists clenched tightly.

"I can't forgive you…!" She grasped her transformation brooch tight. "Guys, let's go!"

"Yeah!"

The Amazoness Quartet stared at them in confusion as the group of girls performed their own transformation magic.

"Moon Crisis Power!"

"Mercury Crystal Power!"

"Mars Crystal Power!"

"Jupiter Crystal Power!"

"Venus Crystal Power!"

Gone were the six ordinary girls from barely two days past and here, now, were six very righteously angry Sailor Soldiers.

"Kids full of bright hopes!" proclaimed Sailor Mini-Moon, completely ignoring the lecture she and the other girls had gotten about this habit of their's.

"To treat their beautiful dreams in the same way as trash!" said Sailor Moon, disgust evident in her voice.

"Your evil ways won't be tolerated." Sailor Jupiter scowled.

"You won't take anymore dreams from small children." Sailor Mars promised.

"We, the Sailor Scouts," said Sailor Venus.

"In the name of the moon we'll punish you!" The Sailor Scouts cried together, their faces grim and their postures ready for the slightest attack.

"Why do WE have to be punished for this?" asked JunJun.

"What was that!?" Sailor Jupiter couldn't believe their heartlessness.

"It looks lke you won't understand unless you really get a punishment!" Sailor Venus stated.

"_Jupiter…_" The symbol of her planetary power blazed in the Scout's hand as electricity raced up her arm as oak leaves began to twirl tightly around her. "_Oak Evolution!_" She spun tightly in place as hundreds of oak-leaves shot through the air with enough electrical energy in them to power a city block.

The two that she had been aiming for, VesVes and CereCere, dodged out of the way just in time.

Her symbol of planetary power shining in her hand, Sailor Venus proudly proclaimed, "_Venus!_" As lipstick donned her lips as she blew a small kiss, forming a glowing heart of light in her hand. "_Love and Beauty Shock!_"

This time, VesVes was ready. She held up her Amazon Stone before the oncoming attack and cried, "_Sealing Ball!_" Sailor Venus' attack was absorbed into the ball with ease, surprising the Scouts just long enough for CereCere to go on the attack.

CereCere held her Amazon Stone up, "_Pelting Ball!_" and watched as her one stone sent out several hundred smaller balls that sent the Sailor Scouts stumbling to keep their feet firmly on the ground. CereCere turned to regard her youngest sister. "Now, PallaPalla!"

"Yipee!" PallaPalla held her orb high. "_Controlling Ball!_" The Scouts watched with trepidation as the stone began to glow brightly only to feel themselves hoisted up into the air by invisible hands that felt too large to be normal on their person. Palla smiled with glee as she brought her Amazon Stone down to reveal its transformation into a neutral Sailor Scout doll! "Now, I have all your lives!" She twisted the doll into a variety of dance poses. "One, and two! Three, and four!" Her innocent face suddenly turned remarkably evil for one so young. "Then, I'll have you all DIE!" She began to pull the arms of her little doll tightly apart, completely heedless of the little voice inside her heart screaming for her to stop.

The Scouts did not cry out in pain even though it truly felt as though their arms were about to be pulled right out of their sockets any moment.

"STOP!" The loud voice echoed in the silence. PallaPalla did so and she, and her sisters, stared past the hanging Sailor Scouts to see four familiar faces.

"Eiji!?" squawked JunJun, suddenly embarrassed of her outfit, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Shiro?!" VesVes obviously felt the same for she mimicked JunJun's action.

"Takuya!" gasped CereCere, surprised to see him and his friends.

"Teddy-chan!" PallaPalla smiled with glee.

Everyone sweatdropped and Morisato looked like he'd rather have the ground swallow him whole.

Ignoring the suddenly ruined mood, Eiji stepped forward, anger evident on his face and in his voice. "Put them down."

"Sorry, hotstuff." JunJun tried to sound tough but her faint blush said something else. "We got orders and these girls have gotten in our way too often."

"Not as often as us." Eiji brandished his K-Zector, the others doing the same behind him.

"Execute! Kaiju Spirit Evoltuion!" Cocoons of light surrounded them all… "WAKE UP!" before exploding outwards to reveal four armored warriors of justice.

"KAMEN RIDER!"

"GOJIRA!"

"ANGUIRUS!"

"RODAN!"

"GAMERA!"

To say that the Amazoness Quartet was shocked would be an understatement. To say that they were horrorfied would be close to the truth. To say that they were afraid was most definitely true but to also say that, mixed in with all these emotions, was a sense of betrayal… Ah, now that would be the conundrum now wouldn't it?

"You… You guys are…" JunJun swallowed.

"The Kamen Riders…" whispered VesVes, backing up half-a-step.

CereCere's eyes were wide and she slowly shook her head. "No… No! Stay back! If you come any closer, we'll kill them!" She pointed at the Sailor Scouts. PallaPalla whimpered as she looked back and forth between her little doll and Anguirus.

"Do it," said Rodan, unsheathing his sword.

"And no force on this earth." Anguirus raised his spiked club.

"Or anywhere else." Gamera bowed, aiming his Terra Blaster.

"Will keep you safe from us." Gojira raised his G-Force to bear. "Nothing."

The tenseness of the situation seemed almost physical in the air as the stand-off continued between the Quartet and the Riders until, suddenly, a rose flew through the air and knocked PallaPalla's doll out of her hands and sending her crashing to the ground. Up high, amongst the rafters of the balloons, Tuxedo Mask jumped down to land beside the Sailor Scouts, who were now free of PallaPalla's spell.

"Are all of you alright…?" He asked only to grunt in pain, a gloved hand straying to his chest. The Kamen Riders moved quickly to stand between him and the Quartet, who now seemed in better control of themselves though the hurt in their eyes was obvious to those who cared enough to look.

"We have another person in our way!" exclaimed an exasperated CereCere. She had enough emotional turmoil for one day, thank-you-very-much!

"My little finger hurts!" cried PallaPalla, cradling her injury in her hand, tears n her eyes.

_"Come back, you little wenches…"_ An aged voice suddenly spoke out of thin air, drawing the Quartet's eyes upwards towards the tent. It was the ringmaster, Zirconia. _"The biggest event of the century is about to begin! What are you wasting time for?"_

"Old hag Zirconia…!" VesVes exclaimed.

"That's right! Let's go, guys!" The four disappeared up into their Amazon Stones and flew up into the circus tent.

"O, wait!" Sailor Moon glared up at the tent, already knowing that they had escaped from this fight. The Riders dropped their weapons and stood only slightly at ease. Anguirus and Rodan were still holding their weapons instead of sheathing them.

"What in the world are they going to begin…?" asked Sailor Mars.

The Dream Mirrors surrounding the group suddenly floated back to their proper owners, who groaned but otherwise remained unconscious.

"First off, we need to help these children!" Sailor Mercury glanced down at the sleeping children. "Though how to find out where they live…"

"Leave that to me." Anguirus moved to Sailor Mercury's side and randomly opened one child's jacket and smiled. "There ya go." He up the fabric where an address was sown on. "My mother did the same for me back when…" Anguirus suddenly trailed off. "Never mind, let's just get these children home before anything else happens."

--

It was perhaps a few hours later, not later than perhaps one in the afternoon, when day fully became night and the pain that Tuxedo Mask had been keeping from the Scouts and Riders reached a whole new level. He collapsed to his knees, gasping for air though his lungs felt as though they were on fire.

"Darien!?" Sailor Moon was quickly by his side. "What's wrong?" She noticed the way his hand clutched the cloth over his chest. "Does your chest…!?"

"Since those spiderwebs appeared, my heart has started hurting…" He knew he couldn't keep t from them any longer and he was by no means a liar.

"Look at the sun!" Rodan suddenly growled, his eyes aimed heavenwards. The group did so and watched with mounting shock as a new moon slowly began to move in front of the sun.

"The sun…!" gasped Sailor Venus.

"It's fading away!" exclaimed Sailor Jupiter.

"Is it a solar eclipse?" asked Gamera.

"Impossible!" denied Anguirus, Sailor Mercury agreeing with him

"The next eclipse isn't for quite a while yet!"

And yet the sun was slowly being block out by the moon.

"The event they were talking about earlier…did they mean this…?" whispered Sailor Moon.

'_Dead Moon. The magic of the new moon…_' thought Mini-Moon to herself. '_Will the world be engulfed in the darkness of the new moon now…?_'

"We can't just let them go on as they wish any longer!" exclaimed Venus.

"You're right!" Mercury glared up towards the sky.

"We can't sit quietly and watch this happen!" stated Mars.

"All right! Let's go, guys!" Jupiter surprisingly sounded almost eager.

"Yeah! Let's do this!" Rodan's eagerness was not surprising.

"Too many innocents have been hurt as it is." Gamera agreed.

The group started to move back towards the circus tent when a orb of golden light appeared suddenly above them. It shined brightly in the darkness of the solar eclipse, spreading upwards and outwards until the form of Pegasus hovered before them in all his splendor.

"Pegasus…!?" Mini-Moon was shocked to see him appear without her calling him but concerned as well, an earlier conversation replaying in her mind.

_"People of the White Moon… Protectors of the White Moon… You shold not head for the Dead Moon right now…!"_ He flew down and landed before them and, despite his words, Mini-Moon smiled and ran forward to hug his long muzzle with a sense of familiarity that confused the Riders.

"Hey, why shouldn't we head over to the Dead Moon?" asked Mars.

"Are you saying that we aren't strong enough to face the Dead Moon?" Jupiter sounded quite insulted by the very idea.

Pegasus merely shook his head. _"They are not an opponent that can be defeated by force. The Dead Moon are monsters created from the remnants of dreams thrown away… As long as there are dreams to be wasted, the Dead Moon will not fall to ruins…"_

"Tell me, who are you really?" asked Gojira. He had enough of being kept in the dark. He wanted answers.

_"I am Helios, priest of Elysan… The one who guards the dreams of the people on Earth…"_

"Elysian?" Anguirus tested the word.

"Pegasus…" Mini-Moon was surprised by how forthcoming he was being with them. He nuzzled her reassuringly before continuing.

_"Elysian had sealed the Dead Moon away using the power from the beautiful dreams of people. However, the power of the seal had decreased, and she awoke… the queen of the Dead Moon, Lady Nehelenia!"_ He gazed upon them with determination. He knew how the Kamen Riders would react. _"To seal them away again, the power of the Golden Crystal must be unleashed!"_

"The Golden Crystal?" Sailor Moon spoke in surprise while the Riders immediately stiffened. Their weapons were raised and aimed straight at the winged unicorn. Ignoring Mini-Moon's cry for them not to hurt him, Pegasus bowed his head before them. _"This horn of mine is actually the Golden Crystal which emits divine energy. It is the only thing that can seal the Dead Moon away into the world of darkness."_

"If it has such power, I'm sure it can just as easily destroy this world, can't it?" Gojira growled, his G-Force Cannon aimed straight at the horn atop Pegasus' head.

_"Tell me, Kamen Riders, have you felt any such negativity from it or myself as you did in your world? Have I given you reason not to trust me? His Highness gave you immunity to the Dead Moon for a reason…"_ Gojira's eyes narrowed behind his visor. They never told anyone of that dream they shared, not even each other, and, by the reaction of his fellow Riders, it wasn't necessarily a dream.

"…… Stand down…" Gojira ordered, lowering his cannon. The other Riders did the same but were ready to react to any change in their Commander's decision.

"So that's why they've been preying on the dreams of people isn't it?" asked Anguirus. "They weren't looking for you, but that crystal." In the end, that's what it always came to, at least for the likes of the Kamen Riders.

"Alright then, it's simple!" Sailor Venus smiled. "All we have to do is use that Golden thingy and defeat the Dead Moon, right?"

"Aw hell no!" Rodan exclaimed. "No one is using that damn Crystal! Even if it's on our side, there's no guarantee that there aren't any side-effects from using it!"

"We couldn't anyway…" whispered Mini-Moon. "Pegasus can't use the Golden Crystal by himself. He needs to find someone who can unleash its power."

"Mini-Moon, you knew?" Sailor Moon looked quite disapproving at her young charge though nowhere near as much as Gojira himself.

"You lied to us?" he asked. "To protect him?"

Mini-Moon hugged Pegasus face. "Pegasus has been looking for that someone for all this time. But, he couldn't find anyone like that…"

"That's something really important… Why didn't you tell us about it?" asked Sailor Moon. Mini-Moon looked down at the ground guil

_"In the first place, the Golden Crystal was supposed to be a secret only known by the priests of Elysian and the High King of Earth."_ Pegasus explained. He looked down at Mini-Moon. _"But, I broke that rule, and told you about the Golden Crystal…"_ She looked up at him, surprised. _"Because I had thought that YOU would be the one who would unleash the powers of the Golden Crystal… When I was thrown into the darkness, you were the one who had shown me the light…"_ He looked once more at the group before him.

_"But, I have no time left…"_ He started to fade out of sight.

"Pegasus!" Mini-Moon grasped his muzzle but could feel him slipping away as large plantlike growths burst upwards from the streets of Juuban, wrapping tightly about the skyscrapers like floral snakes. Tuxedo Mask's heart clenched in a tight vice and he collapsed onto his back.

"Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Moon gripped his hand tightly, despairing over how much pain he was feeling. Pegasus himself looked upon the man with a sense of despair in his eyes.

_"Please, find the person who can unleash the powers of the Golden Crystal…!"_ And then, he was gone.

--

They had reverted back to their normal forms and were quick to take Darien back to his apartment and place him safely in bed but even in the comforts of his home, Darien was fairing far worse than before. The three cats were there, waiting for them and were quickly informed of the situation.

"To defeat the Dead Moon, we need the Golden Crystal…" Artemis whispered. It all sounded so familiar but… blast it, he just couldn't remember!

Serena wiped the sweat from Darien's brow with a handkerchief. He looked up at her and tried to smile despite the pain. "It looks like what Pegasus said is true…"

"Darien…?"

"I heard Pegasus' voice as well…" Darien went on to explain that, as the king of this entire planet both in his past life and in the future, his body was synchronized with this planet as much as the Scouts were to their own and that whatever damage down to the land by the Dead Moon would be reflected back upon him.

"If only I could unleash the powers of the Golden Crystal…" Rini looked down in shame but looked up when she felt Eiji's hand atop her head.

"Be glad that you can't." His eyes were unnaturally cold. "I don't care what Pegasus says, sealing away the Dead Moon will not solve the problem. If they really can't be destroyed the best we can do is weaken their forces enough that it will take millions of years before they can attempt this again."

"Yeah!" Morisato crowed. "When we combine our power, there isn't anything we can't do!"

"Let's go and get rid of this witch!" Takuya growled.

The girls echoed his enthusiasm and started to troop out with the boys and feline trio following close behind. Rei noticed Serena staying behind and started to go back for her when Shiro's hand grasped her shoulder. He silently shook his head. Nodding in understanding, she followed him out into the hallway with the other girls.

Though he did share in their… enthusiasm… Shiro's thoughts were focused on something else entirely. He had wondered why Earth had no Sailor Scout of its own but, if he recalled the story of the Silver Millennium properly… It made some sense seeing as Earth's guardians were all born male unlike the other planets where, apparently, they always had at least one daughter before having a son. Still… if the ruling party was based on the 'White Moon' as Helios called it and the Dead Moon came from some sort of 'Black Moon'… Shiro wondered if there were other planetary powers that…

Oh.

Oh no…

'_It, no it couldn't be. It has to be coincidence certainly… They aren't even planets!_' Shiro's train of thought was abruptly derailed when he and the others stepped out into the streets of Juuban where hundreds of Remless were dancing with completely unconcerned merriment.

"What the hell is this!?" Takuya exclaimed. He couldn't believe how many Remless were out on the streets!

"Welcome, welcome, to the Dead Moon Circus!" crowed the Remless horde.

"W-What's going on here?" Serena gaped at the crowd before them.

"Dreams seen at night are fleetng, but the nightmares here are always open." Ballon-lady Remless sghed.

"Take one look at its extremes." Face One spoke.

"Once you look, you won't stop laughing." Finished Face Two.

"You'll laugh so hard…" giggled Juggler Remless.

"You'll be turned into a mule!" Another Remless appeared between his legs.

"And we won't care!" A face appeared out of that Remless' chest, causing Serena to fall back onto the ground in shock.

"What are these things?!" Rei exclaimed. Several of the male Remless leered at her and the other girls while the females did the same for the boys. While the girls were oblivious to what the Remless were doing, the boys most certainly were not.

When a red-skinned Remless blew a cloud of smoke into Ami's face, causing her to cough for fresh air, the boys had finally had enough.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" All four looked quite murderous and the Remless didn't hesitate in fleeing.

Takuya pretended to buff his nails on his shirt. "And that's how you get rid of the garbage without breaking a sweat."

"Look again, Tak-kun!" Morisato stated.

The Remless hadn't fleed but had, instead, stood to form a path towards the Dead Moon Circus.

"A straight path to the circus. No need for sly little tricks…" muttered Rei.

"They want us to charge with a full frontal assault?" Eiji practically beamed at Lita's words. Every time he thought she couldn't make him more proud, she'd go and say or do something else that had him changing his mind.

"Exactly!" Four familiar voices cried from the skies. The group looked up and saw the Amaoness Quartet swinging down on cords of webbing. Shiro was immediately reminded of his earlier thoughts and his eyes gained a molten glow as he stared up at them. It was the same… it was exactly the same! The only true difference was the sheer amount of darkness that was pushing down upon it, only letting the power come through. If this Nehelenia was so strong to do this… what would she be like in person?

'_We… are in deep trouble…_'

* * *

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_Shiro:_ We're in climbing up towards the climax now, I can feel it in my bones. However, with the possibility of the Amazoness Quartet being… A posse ad esse non valet conseqquentia… I don't know what kind of magic could do this and if it could, in turn, affect Lady Rei or the others but I will—No! I can break it! Aut viam inveniam aut faciam! (I will find a way or I shall make one!)

Nightmare's Cold Truth; Behind the Forbidden Mirror


	21. Nightmare’s Cold Truth

Me: Some of you may have noticed that some scenes are/will be missing from these episodes. There's a good reason for this.

Bahamut: He overslept and is pressed for time.

Me: ... I missed the mother hen version of you...

Mewtwo: Actually, it's because these chapters are really long.

Poupoko: (Longer than most.)

Me: So to cut down on reading, I cut out the scenes that, while important, can easily be seen on the web. That and I'm skating on copyright infringement.

* * *

**DISCLAIMERS: Don't own what's not my own.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

Nightmare's Cold Truth; Behind the Forbidden Mirror

The group glared up at the Amazoness Quartet with varying emotions in their eyes and on their faces. Some were obviously disapproving or angry at the girls above them and a few, only two, looked at them with something akin to both pity and concern.

"Welcome to the Dead Moon Circus!" called VesVes.

"We'll be greeting you Sailor Soldiers and Kamen Riders!" PallaPalla smiled like the child she acted as.

"In that case, we won't hesitate. You don't scare us!" Rei seemed almost to smile in anticipation. With their various commands to transform, the group was changed to a group of warriors. One, sailor suited defenders of love and justice and the other, an armored band of soldiers from a destroyed and forgotten world with similar if not greater ideals as they.

However, it should be noted that, despite the situation at hand, all four of the Kamen Riders heard the words their significant others used in order to transform and knew that, should they emerge victorious in this campaign, there would be a long talk shared between them all but more specifically a pair of feline advisors.

"Villains who tarnish our—Mmph!" Gojira's hand clamped over Sailor Mini-Moon's mouth.

"Didn't we just have a talk about this?" She and the girls sweatdropped, all thankful that the Riders hadn't shown up at the start of their earlier encounter with the Amazoness Quartet.

"Yeah, talk later, fight now!" Rodan brandished his Primal Sword and aimed its tip up towards CereCere. "The flower one is mine!"

CereCere merely tutted and shook her head at the boy, her eyes closed to not show the hurt in them. "We'll have arena seats waiting for you!"

"But, that's if you can actually arrive at the tent!" JunJun smirked, her eyes going from the horde of Remless to Gojira. '_Easy as pie for him…_' The four girls disappeared into their Amazon Stones and took off towards the circus tent.

"They're quite good at that…" Anguirus muttered to himself.

The horde of Remless began to laugh maniacally as they surged towards the group. The Scouts stumbled back half-a-step as Gojira stood at the fore, their weapons already primed.

"_Atomic Fire!_" A machine-gun burst of nuclear flames shot out from Gojira's G-Force Cannon, incinerating the Remless before him with ease. He looked back at the Scouts. "You girls conserve you energy; leave the Remless to us!" With that said, the Kamen Riders charged forward into the mass of Remless, attacks flying forward through the air as they cleared a path towards the Dead Moon Circus. An Ancient Strike sent Remless flying into each other like bowling balls crashing into pins. A Sonic Winding Slash sent limbs and heads flying through the air like confetti and a _Flaming Barrage_ roasted several more with nearly the same ease as a _Atomic Fire_.

Eventually, the group of warriors made it to the entrance of the circus tent though there was some trepidation on the part of the Kamen Riders. True, they had destroyed Remless with great ease before but even then, most of those kills required the activation of the Cast-On System to have enough power to truly destroy them. These Remless fell with ease to the weakest of their attacks though they were on par with the Scouts' own attacks. They knew they were walking straight into a trap but did the Dead Moon really underestimate their strength? Or, perhaps, they were lullng them into a false sense of security.

It mattered not either way. They had a job to do.

--

From deep within the circus tent, the Amazoness Quartet watched the Kamen Riders and Sailor Scouts draw ever near to their 'home' with something akin to awe through a certain large mirror that only Zirconia was allowed to use, but what she didn't know wouldn't hurt. Them anyway… Even CereCere, who did not truly lose all of her fear of a certain Black Rider, was watching with wide eyes as a certain Crimson Rider struck down the Remless with his blade.

"Wow! They are tougher than I thought!" PallaPalla's smile was aimed more at one Rider than at the group as a whole.

"It's just that the Remless are too weak." CereCere explained. They were, after all, the performers and not fighters like the Remless they usually summoned.

"At this rate, not only will they get to the arena, but all the way backstage!" JunJun groused.

"Who was the one who suggested we lure them into the circus?" asked VesVes. The four blnked and looked at one another before pointing their fingers at each other.

_"**Amazoness Quartet…**"_ A familiar form appeared in the large black mirror.

"This voice…" JunJun looked as though Christmas had come early, an expression that was matched by the rest of the Quartet.

"It's Lady Nehelenia!" CereCere was positively beaming.

"Are you going to give us something again?" asked VesVes, hoping the answer was yes.

"I want even stronger magic!" proclaimed PallaPalla.

"Something that will defeat the Sailor Scouts and Kamen Riders in one attack!" explained CereCere.

_"**Don't be hasty… Just for you, my dears… I will give you extra special powers today.**"_

"Really?!" Oh yeah, Christmas had come early for JunJun.

"Nothing less to be expected from Lady Nehelenia." CereCere nodded with glee. "A marvelous difference from the cheap old hag Zirconia!" Nehelenia herself was staring at them with a smile on her face but on the inside, she was frowning. Her eyes, so inhuman, could see past the skin and bone of the Quartet and saw the magic she used to bind them to her, to make them forget who and what they truly are, was unraveling. It was different for each one of them, but the strands were coming apart.

She could not allow them to slip through her fingers. If nothing else, it would add salt to the wounds she would deliver upon the White Moon if the Quartet was still in her control.

_"**Hand me the Amazon Stones that I gave you!**"_

The Quartet held up the orbs in question and watched as they floated over towards the black mirror and entering it to hover above Queen Nehelenia's clawed hands. The Queen of the Dead Moon's catlike eyes shined a brilliant shade of purple before all four orbs turned a dark and ominous black in her hands. She sent the orbs back to the Quartet and watched with vindictive pleasure as their eyes glowed purple and their expressions went slack. But more than that, she watched as the small sparks of light within them vanish into the darkness.

Oh yes, Nehelenia smiled as her reflection vanished from the mirror. Revenge truly was a dish best served cold.

_"**Now, all of you use the powers I gave you and destroy all of those from the White Moon!**"_

--

The band of warriors had finally made it inside the circus tent and had just entered the main lobby. The group was tense, ready for the slightest hint of danger though there was no obvious sign of any.

"Somewhere in here is Queen Nehelena, right?" Sailor Venus looked back at Rodan, who gripped his weapon tightly as he nodded.

Suddenly, the platform they were on began to move upwards, causing them to stumble a bit before the group retained their balance. Even Anguirus nearly lost his footing, something that concerned him greatly. Were his powers not working here?

"We have everything we could want here, don't we?" Sailor Jupiter joked.

"Indeed." Gojira noted. "This turning out to be too easy…"

"Are they trying to lull us into a false sense of security?" asked Gamera.

"I don't know…" muttered the Black Rider. "But everyone, keep on your toes, I have a feeling the real main event is about to start."

And indeed it did for the group had finally arrived onto the center stage of the Dead Moon Circus. The same place that the Sailor Scouts had been to before. To think, they had been so close to the enemy and never realized… The girls shivered at the idea but the boys… they were furious at their own lack of sense. They should have told them about the Circus before, regardless of their inability to enter it before their shared dream-vision. However, now was no time to reminisce on the past.

The future of their shared world was now entirely in their hands.

Demented, yet childish, giggling echoed throughout the stage as the Amazoness Quartet appeared onto the scene through various circus-style means. VesVes smacked her coiled whip onto her free hand and smiled. "Sorry to keep you waiting!"

"The biggest stars of the Dead Moon Circus… The Amazoness Quartet, is on stage." Gamera frowned behind his mask. Something was wrong with CereCere's voice and… the others seemed different as well. His eyes started to glow but suddenly snuffed out, causing them to widen in shock. His powers were gone!

JunJun tossed up a dozen versions of her Amaon Stone, colored its former green, and batted them straight towards the group. "Here goes!" The balls zoomed past the Scouts while the Riders were forced to dodge, especially in the case of Anguirus whose force fields died out as quickly he projected them. The onslaught continued and Sailor Jupiter was forced to catch one before it land a harsh blow to her chest. Several more followed and Jupiter managed to catch them in her hands but had dropped one in the process.

The explosion it caused set off the others in her arms and sent her flying.

"LITA!" Gojira was a shadowed blur, appearing out of nowhere to catch her in his arms. She was covered in small burns but her magic was already healing her.

"Come on!" JunJun called, holding up her ball and bat. "If you don't catch them properly, they'll explode!"

Gojira growled low in his throat.

Elsewhere, the girls were fairing much better. CereCere had unleashed a storm of flower petals that were heavily laced with stink gases, causing the Moon Duo to gag at the awful smell and PallaPalla had turned her stone into a giant version itself and was in the process of turning Sailor Mars into a pancake. Gojira wordlessly placed Sailor Jupiter down before reaching for his K-Zector, a move that was mirrored by his fellow Riders. "Cast-On!"

"CAST-ON! CHANGE!"

A burst of light and the Black Rider was bedecked with the dorsal spines and tail of his daikaiju. "KAIJU OKAMI!"

Anguirus now had the spikey carapace of his own kaiju. "DINO PANZER!"

Rodan's wings flared and he soared upwards into the air. "SORA BUSHI!"

Tortoise shell and claws appeared on the Emerald Rider, Gamera. "ANTEDILUVIAN ARMA!"

"Kamen Riders!" Gojira roared. "TAKE THEM OUT!"

Anguirurs curled tightly into a ball and spun tightly in place. "_Spinball Assault!_" He launched forward, tearing holes on the stage ground before he met PallaPalla's rolling stone head-on. There was a sound rather like a chainsaw as two irresistible forces met and, for but a moment, it looked as though there would only be a stalemate until PallaPalla's orb cracked before exploding complete into dust. Anguirus did a quick U-turn and went back to the group even as Gamera was preparing his assault.

"_Flaming Barrage!_" Large orbs of plasma fire shot through the air from the Terra Blaster on Gamera's back, the very heat of them causing the flower petals of CereCere to burst into ash while those that came into contact with the flames were wiped out without any trace.

Rodan's katana was unsheathed and used with a vengeance, sending one "_Slicing Hurricane Gale!_" after another through the rafters of the circus tent, cutting the ropes used for performances and sending CereCere falling down to the ground to land with her sisters. Rodan landed beside Gojira and brandished his sword once more as Anguirus did the same on the Black Rider's right.

Sailor Mini-Moon watched in awestruck wonder. She couldn't believe how strong the Riders were and neither could the Quartet, who did not look so carefree any longer. Suddenly, much to Mini-Moon's surprise, the Crystal Carillon appeared before her.

"Huh… The Crystal Carillon?" She held her hands out and watched as it dropped gently into her hands. Why did Pegasus want her to summon him? Gamera saw and immediately knew the answer.

Pegasus could give Sailor Moon the power to break the spell on the Amazoness Quartet!

--

However, deep within the confines of her mirror, Nehelenia was watching Helios' cold body glow with pulsating light. _"**Helios' body is resonating… So, pegasus' hideout is approaching…**"_ Lady Nehelenia stared at his body in surprise, could she truly be so lucky at such a time as this? _"**Who holds the Golden Mirror!?**"_

She waved a hand upon her mirror and saw the reflection of Sailor Mini-Moon.

_"**That girl, is it?**"_

--

Mini-Moon stared down at the bell in her hands with some confusion. "Are you asking me to call for you, Pegasus?"

"Mini-Moon!" Sailor Moon urged her to do so even as Gamera nodded with her in agreement. The sound of bells ringing echoed as Mini-Moon swung her bell. "_Twinkle Yell!_"

Pegasus appeared in all his pristine glory above the group, the light of the Golden Crystal shining brightly from his horn and sending the Amazoness Quartet stumbling back as though in pain from the golden light. Sailor Moon's Moon KaleidoScope appeared in her hands with a flash from Pegasus' horn.

"_Moon Gorgeous… Meditation!_" Shards of kaleidoscopic glass flew outwards from her scepter-like weapon. The Quartet screamed as the attack drew close to them when bolts of black lightning ripped through the air, destroying the attack before it could touch them. Standing in front of them, looking only slightly displeased, was the ringmaster of the Dead Moon Circus.

Zirconia.

The Quartet looked out at the Riders and Scouts from where they cringed behind Zirconia. They had felt the raw power of that attack and it scared the part of them that was Nehelenia but brought a brief, all too brief, sense of relief from the light within their hearts.

"Who the hell are you, old freak?" asked Rodan.

"I am Zirconia… the ringmaster of the Dead Moon." She smiled, a hideous sight for all three groups, as she leaned forward to get a better look at the Kamen Riders. "You must be the 'hideous monsters' I've heard so much about from my girls here… I suppose it is too little, too late to ask if you'd like to join our little family?"

"How's this for an answer?" Both Rodan and Anguirus gave the one-fingered salute, which earned some snickers from Quartet and surprised looks from the Scouts. Well, not surprised in concern to Rodan…

"Too bad you've not got the power to control us as you do them," Gamera indicated the Quartet behind Zirconia. "Tell me, how much dark magic does it take to keep them under control? Too much I imagine." Gamera was angry and though Gojira didn't know why, he allowed the older Rider to speak. Something was up…

Zirconia's eyes narrowed. "You know not of what you speak."

"I know enough." His visor was practically aglow with rage. "I know that you took the destinies of four innocent girls and twisted into dark and vile." Gamera crossed his arms in the shape of an X over his chest. "I swear, on my honor as a Kamen Rider that I, Shiro Saito, holder of the spirit of Gamera, shall break the curse you set upon the Amazoness Quartet to my dying breath if need be! I so swear!"

"… As does Eiji Kusanagi, holder of the spirit of Godzilla… on the honor of my family blood." Gojira suddenly spoke up beside Gamera, his own arms crossed in a similar position. Gojira had a very good idea as to what Gamera was talking about and if he was right… He too, would help him break the spell.

"Aye, I, Morisato Akichi, holder of the spirit of Anguirus, so swears on my mother's grave!" Anguirus bowed his head over his Ankylo Hammer, which was clasped tightly in both hands. This surprised the other Riders greatly. Morisato never spoke of his mother, not once since her passing all those years ago. To make a such a vow…

"Feh, on my family blade and the honor of the Yashima clan, I, Takuya Yashima, holder of the spirit of Rodan, so swears!" Rodan bowed his head over the sword in his hand, picturing his family sword, the Battousai, in its place.

The Amazoness Quartet looked quite stunned at this and looked to each other in confusion, as did the Sailor Scouts who were clueless as to the Riders' reasonings.

Zirconia stared at them before snorting quietly to herself. They had power to break her, she was no fool to believe otherwise, but her Lady's magic? That was in comparison to a mouse trying to combat a tiger. She looked over towards where Pegasus stood on the sidelines, ignoring the group utterly. "I know that the Pegasus which stands there is just an illusion… that Pegasus can only live inside beautiful dreams in the Waking World! She looked over towards Mini-Moon in a way that none of them liked. "Then, all I need to do is capture her, the owner of the dream and all!"

The flaming eyeball atop her staff flew down to the ground as Zirconia moved and gripped her staff in a way as though she planned to play croquet with the eyball as the ball. The Riders exchanged looks while the Scouts sweatdropped. She wouldn't really…

She did.

The eyeball zoomed past the group, ricocheting like a demented ping-pong ball in the darkness of the center ring. The Riders drew close to the Scouts, hoping to intercept Zircon before it had a chance to hit whoever it was aiming for, but the winged eyeball was quick enough that even Rodan's eyes could barely track the thing.

It was only when they heard Mini-Moon's agonized cry that they realized they were already too late.

The Dream Mirror spun quickly before coming to halt, shining with a golden radiance that awed even the normally stoic Kamen Riders. Pegasus' horn matched the glow of Mini-Moon's Dream Mirror and, neighing, he took to the air before diving down and disappearing into its glassy surface, leaving not a trace of his ever being in the Waking World.

"I've found it, I've finally found it!" Zirconia was most pleased with herself. She should have known to never send in a minion to do a boss' job. "The person whp Pegasus has been residing in!"

Mini-Moon's eyes were dead as her Dream Mirror floated before her, sparkling with golden dots of light. "Y-You can't…" Even half-aware as she was, Mini-Moon had the strength of will to reach out and pull her Mirror of Dreams back within her.

Zirconia smiled and tapped her staff loudly upon the ground and watched as a black-glass mirror appeared behind Sailor Mini-Moon and, twirling once in place, sucked her inside itself. Sailor Moon was on her knees before the mirror, the Riders moving to stand behind her and the Scouts, between them and Zirconia, and was pressing her hands against the glass of the mirror, hoping to find a way to bring her protégé out from its depths. "Mini-Moon!"

"Rejoice, Lady Nehelenia. As you commanded, I have found the owner of the Golden Mirror! Now, the Golden Crystal is ours!" Zirconia spoke, pleased with how well she had carried out her Queen's command. She smirked and vanished out of sight along with the Amazoness Quartet. Gojira growled low and sent a blast of energy into the darkness but hearing nothing to signify him actually hitting anything, he turned his attention back to the trapped Mini-Moon.

"Impossible… Mini-Moon!" Sailor Moon pressed her hands against the glass, watching as Mini-Moon silently tried to break it on her side of the mirror. "Hold on, I'll try to get you out right now." Sailor Moon stood and backed away from the mirror before charging forward only to hit open air as the mirro suddenly sunk into the floor and disappeared.

"Mini-Moon… MINI-MOON!" Sailor Moon's scream echoed in the large tent and the mocking voices of the Amazoness Quartet.

"Dream, dream, don't doubt it. A dream of dreams that dreaming children have. Dream, dream, don't doubt it. A dream of dreams that dreaming children have."

"I… REALLY hate that song…" Rodan muttered under his breath.

--

The group had continued on, knowing it would be futile to lament over Mini-Moon's capture when they could be putting their time and effort into finding and rescuing her instead. The Riders, with their Cast-On Systems deactivated, kept silent for the most part, ignoring the questions aimed about their strange promise to the Quartet, answering only that it was the right thing to do. So far, they had been traveling for some time, having gone down many divided roads and had, once again, come to another divide.

"Another split… which way should we go this time?" asked Anguirus.

"Damned if I know." Rodan snorted. "I'm sure we've gone in circles this entire time."

"What do you think, Mercury?" asked Sailor Jupiter to the bluenette, whose visor was on as she tapped away at her Mercury Computer. She looked up and pointed towards the path on the left.

"That way." The group started down that path without another word though they all had a great feeling of unease, as though the next stage was set against them for sure this time…

--

Deep inside the circus tent, quite far from where the warriors of love and justice were traveling through, the Amazoness Quartet were sprawled about their lounge area of the tent, thinking back on things. Though they tried to pass it off as otherwise to the others, every one of them was thinking back on the words of the Kamen Riders and how strangely Zirconia had acted before when Gamera had talked of their destinies.

They never really thought about it actually.

Their destinies.

They were given eternal youth, what use was destiny when they could have all the fun in the world?

Still…

Why was it, when the Riders promised to break this so-called control over them… that each and every one of the Quartet felt their hearts go aflutter with the idea of playing the damsel in distress.

CereCere, being the eldest, had a better grasp of the reality of the adult world than her sisters, having dabbled in it from time to time, and was, by far, the most mature of the Quartet though it was not above her to trick or play a prank or two upon her siblings. To her, Takuya was as impulsive and vulgar as she sometimes wished she could be, having grown tired of the constant etiquette that was practically expected by her. Playing with the stem of a lily in her hands, CereCere's train of thought went down a particularly vulgar thing she could do with Takuya were she only a few years older. Blushing as red as a rose, she turned her back on her sisters, one hand clasping her nose as she smiled at the idea.

PallaPalla, being the youngest of the Quartet, did not fully understand a lot of things. Death, for example, was like being asleep to the young Amazoness. To her, anyone could wake up from it and that was that, which would explain her somewhat dark tendencies towards her toys. Tendencies that had decreased since she met Morisato, otherwise known as Teddy-chan. For PallaPalla, Morisato was the conscience she was deaf to, the voice of reason and teaching things that she never knew about in her naivety. Being the youngest, PallaPalla's thoughts in concern to the scarred boy were more like that of a child's, imagining him sweeping down astride a certain winged horse and taking her off to an even grander adventure than this that she had with the Dead Moon Circus.

JunJun was by the far the most crass of the Quartet, taking no shit from no one and dealing out much of her own with her tough-girl attitude. She took every opportunity she could to dress as the punk she portrayed herself as and let no one assume she was anything otherwise. Eiji was the first and only person to actually see past that façade and saw the girl that she was and though JunJun didn't know how he did it, Eiji made her feel… special. Oh, she knew she wasn't anything like her sisters, not with her froglike voice, her bony legs, or breasts only slightly bigger than PallaPalla's but Eiji didn't seem to care at all about appearances and for the first time in as long as she could remember, JunJun actually considered the idea of having a boyfriend; an idea she would have scoffed and denied if anyone thought to ask her.

VesVes, the sometimes leader of the group, was a brash individual and didn't let anyone talk her down and was quite vocal about her opinions on things. She earned the right to the title of Beast Tamer because of her desire to stand firm in what she did, never backing down before anyone, least of all something she considered beneath her. To her, Shiro was an oddity, someone who believed so much in something that could possibly not exist to the point where he'd devote his entire life to it. She idly played with the idea of Shiro have the same devotion but aimed more towards her then at the heavens. Twisting her whip about, she found she rather liked that idea a lot…

The real question now was how to get the boy to her and, suddenly, VesVes was blessed with an idea. It was crazy, it was foolhardy, and it would possible get them in far deeper trouble than ever before but the gain was worth the risk! She knew that Shiro, and those other guys whom her sisters seemed infatuated with, would be looking for a certain pink-haired Sailor Scout, so if they had the girl here with them…

It was a perfect idea! Truly worth the phrase 'two birds with one stone'! Not only would they lure the boys here to them, but perhaps those pesky feelings of guilt and failure that had been hanging around since Mini-Moon's capture would finally go away.

--

The Kamen Riders and Sailor Scouts, being led by Sailor Mercury and her computer, had found themselves in a large chamber filled with large mirrors rather like what one would find in a carnival. Every mirror was a slight taller than Rodan and none had any sort of frame holding them perfectly upright. Sailor Moon paused at one and stared into her reflection curiously but hurried along after the others, completely missing the fact that her reflection had not moved with her and was standing where it was with a very evil smile on its face.

--

In a chamber all on her own save for her little Zircon, the ringmaster Zirconia stood atop an alchemic-like array on the floor, surrounded by lit candles and perfectly round mirrors. In her grisly hand she held a copper plate, her eyes gazing upon her reflection. "Just you wait and see, little wenches… little misbegotten children…" Zirconia closed her eyes and concentrated her magic upon the plate, which began to glow an unnatural shade of blue before large plumes of fire shot upwards. Looking up into the plumes of the fires, Zirconia spoke, "Go, and defeat them!"

--

"Okay… how the hell did this happen?" Gojira looked around, trying to find any of the others but he was alone. He tapped his K-Zector and watched as the holo-map of the area appeared. There was only a single light in the immediate area… How in the hell did he lose his entire squad by taking a single step forward? He hoped the others were together at least…

--

"Oh man, I'm so freaking lost… Hello!? ANYONE?!" Anguirus didn't like this one bit. Sure, he might have taken a slight shortcut around a mirror but he didn't expect to be so totally lost as he was now!

--

Rodan was trying very hard to not activate his Cast-On and soar up into the air but if his K-Zector said he was alone, he'd chose reason over rage.

This time.

--

Gamera was trying his best to focus his Sight on finding the others but he could barely See himself, let alone anyone else. With a sigh, the Emerald Rider went on his way but paused when he heard a familiar voice speak out from behind him.

--

"Guys…? Where are you?" Sailor Moon looked around her and found nothing but emptiness, she was the only one there and it brought back an old memory, twice forgotten, of a similar time where she was alone without her friends. She sincerely hoped it was merely that she had gotten lost and not… no, she wouldn't dare think about it.

--

Sailor Mars felt as though something was sneaking up behind her but, upon turning to face it, found nothing. She had hoped it was one of the others, Gamera more than most, but she was sadly mistaken. She was alone in the darkness.

--

"This is strange…" Sailor Mercury's visor was completely dead, no information coming through its lens at all. she gazed around for a sign of anyone and even called out too a few that came to her mind. "Anguirus? Sailor Moon?" Were such examples.

She never noticed her reflection turning its head to regard her with an evil leer.

--

Sailor Venus walked around another corner. "Did we get separated…?" Several mirrors suddenly rattled on their own, startling her. Oh, she really wished Rodan was here, if nothing else, his attitude with the situation could keep her fears at bay.

--

Sailor Jupiter walked down the corridor wondering just how she could get separated from Gojira when their shoulders were just centimeters apart from touching, the back of their hands rubbing against each other. So here she was now, alone with nothing but mirrors for company.

"Sailor Jupiter…"

Then again…

"Who is it?" Sailor Jupiter stopped, hands tensed and ready to loose some lightning.

"Over here…" Whispered the voice that sounded so much like her own. Sailor Jupiter looked around, her eyes falling upon her reflection in the mirror beside her. The reflection closed its eyes and smiled at Sailor Jupiter. "It's me." Sailor Jupiter gasped in shock and stepped back from the mirror as her reflection laughed. "Geez, don't be scared of me." It smiled at her. "I am you!"

"Me?" Sailor Jupiter was suspicious and rightly so. This was the enemy's home turf after all.

"Yup. I am you. Your real self." Sailor Jupiter blinked and looked down, no way was this real. "Why am I dressed up like this and doing this soldier thing? My true self is a lot more girl. My dream is to live a life surrounded by flowers and sweets, with Eiji by my side. But, nobody understands anything…" The real Sailor Jupiter's eyes became more downcast with every word. "If I keep fighting like this, I'll be even less like a girl and Eiji will find someone else to marry…"

Sailor Jupiter looked away from the reflection. There was no way that Eiji would do that… he promised… The reflection's laughter brought her attention back to it and she gasped in shock. Her reflection was now wearing a beautiful pink dress that, despite it technically being herself, made Jupiter envious… it was so gorgeous…

The reflection raised the long skirt up slightly. "Isn't this lovely?" The reflection smiled. "In reality, I'm really very feminine." It looked up at Sailor Jupiter. "Why don't we call it quits?"

"Call it quits?"

"Quit all this fighting business, and let's have a wonderful dream together!" The reflection held out its hand to her, beckoning her to take it.

--

"My dream is to become a doctor…" Sailor Mercury watched her reflection being held from behind by a reflection of herself, strangely feeling as though the arms were well and truly there. "Have I already discarded those dreams from those days already?"

"My… dreams?"

--

Sailor Venus pressed her hand against the mirror and listened closely to her reflection's words. "I go through this much trouble to upkeep the peace but nobody praises me, least of all Takuya. Let's leave all these unthankful people alone and live for my own dreams!"

--

Sailor Mars was surrounded on all sides by reflections of herself. "Of course I'm scared," chorused the reflections. "It's not like we'll always be able to defeat our enemies… I might be defeated the next time. Of course I want to run away, right?"

"Want to run away…?"

--

"It never ends does it…?" Gamera stared at the reflection of Shiro in the mirror, it was holding its robotic arm tightly; it was bleeding blood and oil. "Can't we just stop…? It hurts too much to go on like this… only partially human… Let's stop."

"Stop…?"

--

"I've lost everything I've ever had. My parents, my sister, my first love, my friends… I'll keep losing people and I'll be all alone…" Rodan was strangely silent as he looked upon the reflection of Takuya. "Isn't it better to just stay here, safe from the pain of loss? If we're alone, we can't be hurt can we?"

"All alone…"

--

"She'll just end up getting killed for us, you know…" The reflection of Morisato spoke to Anguirus. "It's happened before, who's to say it won't happen again? What if she dies because we're too absorbed in ourselves to realize her own pain? She's better off without us…"

"She's… better off…?"

--

The reflection of Eiji paced between two mirrors, glaring at the silent Gojira. "You keep making mistakes and like this and the only one left alive will be you, you realize that right? That's all we do isn't it? Lead them into one trap after another until we're all that's left. Better to let someone else take up the mantle of Commander!"

"I don't…"

"Oh, don't try to deny it, if it wasn't for your mistakes, Morisato wouldn't have his scar, Takuya would have his sister, Shiro would still have his arm, and all those who died following your orders would still be alive if it weren't for you! Why don't you just give up now?"

"Give up…?"

--

Sailor Moon paused at the sound of children's laughter and looked behind her to see her reflections standing differently than how she was. Startled, she backed up into another mirror only to hear her reflection speak to her.

"You're scared, right? I understand."

"Who is it?" Sailor Moon turned her head to see her reflection smiling at her.

"I am you."

"Me?"

"That's right." The reflection's smile was nothing like Sailor Moon's, cold and dark as it was. "I know everything about you." In her chamber, Zirconia spoke word-for-word for Sailor Moon's reflection, putting all of her attention upon her than any of the others. "Now, come see a dream with me…"

"A dream…" Sailor Moon was falling under the same spell as the others, her eyes drooping close.

"Forget about everything, and let's go see a wonderful dream." The reflection pushed its gloved hand through the glass, revealing itself to be Zirconia's.

'_Serena…_' Darien's pained gasp echoed in Sailor Moon's heart.

'_Sailor Moon! Help me!_' Sailor Mini-Moon's cry for help was all that was needed to fully break the last of Zirconia's hold upon her. She stepped forward, hands clasped over her heart as though in pain.

"What's wrong?" The reflection asked in fake concern. "Does it hurt somewhere?"

"You don't get it?" Sailor Moon looked to her reflection. "You don't understand this pain I feel in my heart…?"

--

"You're right, it does hurt sometimes… and I have thought of giving up…" Gamera glared at the reflection of Shiro. "But I'd take the pain of a thousand deaths before I'd let anyone I care about get hurt because I wasn't there to help them."

--

Sailor Mars shook her head. "You might be right… there really is no guarantee that we'll always come out the victor but what kind of person would I be to turn my back on my friends? Shiro puts everything he is into protecting people, he's living proof of what could happen… and I've never been more proud of anyone as I am of him!"

--

"I am a selfish bastard, I don't deny that…" Anguirus spoke softly. "But I… I want to be there for her… even if she doesn't love me in the end, I'll always love her… This love I feel, is the love I couldn't give before but I'm willing to do so now." He glared at the reflection of Morisato, raising his Ankylo Hammer. "And I won't let fear get in my way."

--

"No, I haven't discarded those dreams," denied Sailor Mercury. "I'm still striving towards them with my friends and… I want him to be my side too… I'm afraid of being in love, I'm brave enough to admit that, but even if I do become a doctor, I want him to share my dream with me because with Morisato by my side… it really would be a dream come true!"

--

"I've tried being alone, didn't like it." Rodan grunted. "True, I could be hurt again and my heart broken once more but damn it, I'm tired of wallowing in self-pity!" He unsheathed his Primal Sword. "She's given me a reason to trust again and…" His sword lowered. "I want…" His grip tightened and he raised his blade up once more. "If I want to share that happiness with the people I care about, I'll fight tooth and claw to get it!"

--

"It is an unthankful job, but I don't this for the praise of other people. There's only one person that I really want to be proud of me and though he hasn't got a way with words…" Sailor Venus smiled. "I see it in his eyes every time he looks at me. I know he won't say the words, not yet, but I'll wait until he's ready to tell me how he feels."

--

"I am feminine but I'm also a martial artist!" Sailor Jupiter stood defiantly before her reflection. "I do wish that I'd have more time to act as feminine as I want but I don't and Eiji… he loves me anyway! He doesn't care if I'm some macho tomboy most of the time, he loves me for who I am, he promised…" She held the ring tightly beneath her gloved hand. "He promised to marry me… and I won't be the one to break that promise!"

--

"I've failed… too many people…" Gojira spoke softly. "I've so much blood on my hands … but…" He raised a hand to his chest, where the dogtags of those who died under his command rested. "It would be dishonorable if I were to live my life trying to undo the past. As my father said, 'You cannot change the past, but you can improve the future'. I will forge my own path to my future… with my love by my side…" He raised his G-Force Cannon. "And I will not break my promise to her!"

--

"When I was a child, it was fun because I was free. But, I was able to find friends who I could share my pain with." Sailor Moon whispered. "I don't regreat anything about who I am now."

--

"You aren't me at all!"

--

"_Mars… Flame Sniper!_"

"_Flaming Barrage!_"

"_Mercury… Aqua Rhapsody!_"

"_Ancient Strike!_"

"_Venus… Love and Beauty Shock!_"

"_Sonic Winding Slash!_"

"_Jupiter… Oak Evolution!_"

"_Atomic Fire!_"

"_Moon… Tiara… MAGIC!_"

--

The Sailor Scouts and Kamen Riders stood in a dark and empty room with but a single large mirror with the ringmaster Zirconia standing before them inside it, the mirrors used to bespell them shattered into dust on the wind.

"To try fooling us with a spell like that…" Sailor Mars was ticked, a sentiment shared with her other half as well.

"You sure like to underestimate your opponents!" Gamera crossed his arms over his chest.

"It's not that we've discarded the dreams we had as children." Sailor Mercury hand strayed to Anguirus', holding his fingers lightly.

"But right now we all have much bigger dreams to follow." Gojira's hand clasped Sailor Jupiter's tightly.

"In any case, you won't be able to leave here alive!" Zirconia's image faded from the mirror. "Prepare for your fate!"

The image cleared to show… the lounge of the Amazoness Quartet where the very Quartet in question were standing around the prone form of one familiar Sailor Scout.

"Mini-Moon?!" gasped Sailor Moon. She pressed her hands on the glass but it wouldn't give.

"Wait," Gojira placed his hand on the girl's shoulder. "Listen…"

And listen they could to the scene that was playing out before them.

--

"So… what do we do now?" asked JunJun. "We got cotton-candy head here…"

"Well…" VesVes crossed her arms over her chest and spoke with a serious air. "We wait, that's what."

"Awww, but I want to see Teddy-chan now!" whined PallaPalla.

"Wait a minute… are you talking about that scarred guy?" asked JunJun, completely surprised with her little sister, who nodded happily.

"Yep! He's really cute! Like a big teddy bear!" The other three sweatdropped and shook their heads.

"There's no accounting for tastes I guess…" CereCere sighed. PallaPalla huffed.

"Oh yeah, what about you, big sis? I thought you liked that birdy-guy!"

"His name is Takuya and—" CereCere's mouth snapped shut, blushing at the looks JunJun and VesVes were giving her.

"Oh my god… big sister has a crush on a punk!" VesVes was giggling like mad. "I thought JunJun would be the one to go after that guy!"

"Hey!" exclaimed the pair with JunJun continuing, "Eiji can at least kick that rooster's butt!"

"Eiji?" CereCere blinked. "That black-haired boy? Oh, JunJun, you could do better!"

"Oh that's rich coming from you!"

VesVes shook her head. "Am I the only one not acting crazy over some guy?"

PallaPalla blinked innocently. "But I thought you liked Mr. Turtle?"

"Mr. Turtle?" chorused CereCere and JunJun, while VesVes blushed.

"… His name is Shiro, okay?" VesVes grumbled.

"Wait a minute… so the only you came up with this plan…" said JunJun.

"Was so you could lure your boyfriend here?" asked CereCere.

"He's not my boyfriend!" VesVes' face was nearly matching the redness of her hair. "And what about you guys!? Like you didn't have the same idea!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." JunJun grunted, crossing her arms.

"As if you don't!"

--

Meanwhile, with the group of Rider and Scouts… much thinking was taking place amongst the sea of sweatdrops and blushes.

'_I knew that nickname would come back and haunt me…_' Anguirus bemoaned. '_Right hair color, wrong girl yet again…_'

'_As if Kusanagi could kick my ass!_' Rodan groused. '_I got your "punk" right here, girl!_'

'_This… is forboding…_' Gamera sighed, knowing the girls would not like the Quartet's apparent admiration in the Riders.

'_Girl's got good sense._' Gojira mentally nodded. '_If she could pick up my fighting prowess against Takuya._'

'_That is really rather sweet,_' Sailor Mercury couldn't help but smile at PallaPalla's innocence. '_Her first crush… but she better back off, he's mine!_' She blushed and mentally berated herself for such thoughts.

'_She's got good tastes in men._' Sailor Venus nodded knowingly. '_You go girl, defend my man. Emphasis on mine._'

'_Exactly what is this girl to you, Shiro?_' Sailor Mars glared out the corner of her eye at Gamera, wondering if perhaps he had some sort of attachment to VesVes. He was, after all, the first to come to their defense…

'_Oh man, I knew I should have nipped this in the bud when I had the chance…_' Sailor Jupiter sighed. '_I hope she doesn't find out about Eiji's promise…_'

Sailor Moon herself had been thinking why none of the Quartet had any sort of crush on her Darien and whether or not they believed he was good enough for them when she realized, A) It was technically a good thing they had no such feelings, she had one girl to compete with as it was, and B) The way the girls were looking at the Quartet spoke of how fortunate she was not to be involved so she kept her thoughts to herself.

"_**YOU LITTLE WENCHES!**_" Zirconia's voice echoed harshly in the Lounge, startling the Quartet out of their argument. "Do you realize what you could have done? **_YOU USELESS IDIOTS!_**" The Amazoness Quartet suddenly vanished with the twirl of mirrors, leaving Mini-Moon alone when suddenly, large strands of webbing appeared out of nowhere, grabbing the girl and tearing her upwards into the rafters and out of sight.

"Mini-Moon!" Sailor Moon hoped that the mirror would show them where she was being taken to but alas, it had cracked from the strain and had grown dark. "Mini-Moon…"

--

_"**I will remove Pegasus from this little girl right now.**"_ Nehelenia turned to regard her ringmaster with a critical eye. She had failed one too many times for her liking. _"**This time, make sure to kill those pesky folk of the White Moon and their guardian beasts!**"_ She turned her back on Zirconia. _"**Don't think about using them by casting a spell on them.**"_ She had seen for herself the power the Kamen Riders commanded; without the Golden Crystal it would be foolhardy to attempt it. _"**Their existence in itself is a catastrophe.**"_

"Yes…!" Zirconia bowed her head and vanished.

Nehelenia smiled, glad to be rid of the presence of the old hag, and raised her hand in a beckoning gesture. _"**Come out!**"_ Sailor Mini-Moon appeared before her, still unconscious and held tightly in the webs. _"**It's finally here! The time for light to disappear into the shadows! I won't let you go anywhere anymore!**"_ Nehelenia clenched her open hand. _"**Come out…!**"_ The webbing vanished, leaving Mini-Moon floating in mid-air. _"**My… Helios!**"_

A dark beam of purple light burst forth from beneath Sailor Mini-Moon, its roar of power only drowned out by the sounds of her screams.

--

Sailor Mercury typed a command in her mini-computer before looking up towards the darkness. "There's a response further up over here for Rini." Anguirus glanced down at the computer before looking up to follow Mercury's eyes. She had explained that, though she could track any of them, even in such close proximity, she could track Rini thanks in large part to her traveling back to the past; their present.

Too bad she couldn't tell them anything though Anguirus was sure the girls knew more than they let on. He was really hoping to win the lottery at least once…

"So you have come this far."

"Aw shit, it's the old hag!" Rodan's blade appeared instantly in his hand.

"I will make this place your graves…"

"Where are you!?" Sailor Venus tried to see through the darkness but truly was of little help. Suddenly, she was given assistance by the appearance of lit candles that formed a large shape around her and the others like a cart-wheel.

"You from the White Moon…" Zirconia appeared before them followed by two more on either side. "The grudge our clan held for such a long time…" Soon, there were too many to truly count easily. "Will be avenged here! Prepare yourselves!"

"Which one is real?" asked Sailor Jupiter.

"I'll be able to tell you in a minute, Jupiter!" Mercury was typing fast with one hand.

"We don't have a minute here!" Gojira raised his cannon, ready to fire.

"Now, with you unable to call for Pegasus, will you be able to win against me?"

--

In a space away from space, there was the Amazoness Quartet, left in a void where the only company they had was each other, half-trapped as they were in mirrors.

"Hey, old hag, let us out of here!" VesVes upper torso and most of her ponytail was outside the mirror she was chained to and she banged her fists against the glass with a passion.

"We'll be alright." PallaPalla was strangely uncaring of the situation, even though she was literally split right down the middle by her mirror. "I'm sure that soon enough Lady Nehelenia will let us out of here."

CereCere sighed, only her head and right arm were free. "Yeah, I'm sure she will."

JunJun, trapped from the hips down, was silent, her arms crossed over her chest, staring down at her reflection. Her sisters took immediate notice of her silence.

"JunJun?" PallaPalla spoke.

"What are you thinking?" VesVes asked, suddenly smirking. "About a certain orange-eyed boy?"

JunJun didn't rise to the bait. She looked up slowly at her sisters. "Do you remember what that turtle guy—"

"Shiro!" VesVes snapped. He looked nothing like a turtle! … Outside the armor…

"Yeah, whatever, what he said to the old hag? About taking away our destinies?"

"Yes, what about it?" asked CereCere.

"Well… you know, that little kid, Mini Moon…" JunJun was hesitant in speaking, she didn't know if her sisters felt that same feeling as she did when it came to the Scout, but seeing their rising interest, she continued. "We are more powerful than she is…" For now… though how she knew that, JunJun didn't know. "but don't you think that we're somehow on… the wrong side…? The losing side?"

--

"_Atomic Fire!_"

"_Flaming Barrage!_"

Near twinlike bursts of flames shot through the air in rapid sucession, shattering the illusions of Zirconia into shards of glass, but more appeared in their place.

"Useless… Useless!"

"This really has no end!" exclaimed Sailor Mars. The Zirconia's smirked and raised their hands up before unleashing a blast of invisible force upon the group, knocking them off their feet with ease though none of them fell past the candles…

"I'll kill all of you slowly…"

'_Damn it…! We need to find the original in all this!_' Gojira stood to his feet, followed by his fellow Riders, and formed a defensive circle around the Scouts. Though his powers over wind and his own special sight now virtually nonexistent in this place, Rodan's visor was still able to give him its own sharp vision and it brought to attention one little detail he had been missing.

'_Wait a minute… where's the…_' Rodan's eyes fell upon the winged Zircon.

The only Zircon.

"That one's the original!" Rodan pointed his sword towards the true Zirconia, startling the Scouts and Riders. They too took immediate notice of the small difference and were quick to press the attack.

"_Atomic Fire!_"

"_Flaming Barrage!_"

Whatever power Zirconia was using to create the clones was immediately diverted into creating a shield to hold back the two attacks. Even so, Zirconia was panting for breath, slightly smoking, and glaring liquid death at the Riders and Scouts. "Damn you…!"

"Looks like it's all over for you." Oh yeah, Mars was smug but, then again, so was Rodan.

Zirconia looked on the verge of having a mental breakdown. "Lady Nehelenia… please help me…"

"Nehelenia?" Sailor Moon's eyes narrowed. She must be the one who had. '_Rini…_'

Everyone was surprised by the sudden appearance of the Amazoness Quartet, who looked just as surprised to be there.

"Uh… hi?" VesVes waved at the stunned group of heroes, earning sweatdrops all around.

"Hiya, Teddy-chan!" PallaPalla waved excitedly at Anguirus who was very glad his helmet was hiding his blush.

"Are we supposed to fight them?" JunJun quietly asked CereCere who shrugged. For all they knew, they were still in trouble with Queen Nehelenia.

Trouble, that was about to get far worse for them.

"Idiots!" Zirconia smiled. Webbing shot down from the rafters, wrapping tightly around the Quartet with the strength of pythons with bolts of dark lightning zapping them of their true power. A net of webbing appeared to Zirconia's back, like a pair of demonic wings, transferring the power of the Amazoness Quartet into her.

"Oh, what lovely energy!" She looked up to the rafters. "Lady Nehelenia, I thank you. I will make sure to make good use of this energy for your sake."

_"**Make sure to get rid of them with this. Understand that, Zirconia?**"_

The Riders felt a chill go down their spines from the voice, that chilly voice of the true ringmaster of the Dead Moon Circus.

Queen Nehelenia.

"Why are you doing this!?" JunJun fought back the urge to scream, the pain was too much!

_"**Did you really believe everything I told you? You were nothing to me from the beginning! Your powers became good energy to support the magical powers of our Dead Moon. I have no more need for it.**"_ A dark chuckle. _"**Besides… the irony was too rich to pass up.**"_

Wordlessly, the Riders rushed forward, each grabbing a firm hold on the webbing holding the Quartet and trying their best to tear it asunder despite the overwhelming agony that ripped through them, despite the proctection of the armor.

"What are doing?! You'll get yourself killed helping us!" JunJun growled, glaring up at Gojira, who continued to try nonetheless.

He gritted his teeth, smiling beneath his mask. "Everyone needs help sometimes… and friends are eager to give it…" He struggled to pull the web apart. "Come on, put your backs into this!" A burst of power sent them flying back, forcing them to roll in order to quickly get back on their feet. The Scouts were at their side in an instant.

"Is this a time for you to worry about others?" Zirconia asked, glowing a dark crimson. "You are all going to die right here!" A burst of emerald fire shot out from Zircon's eye, which the Scouts and Riders were able to dodge with ease.

"I got it!" Mercury's sudden exclamation brought the Riders' attention to her. "Those balls are what're draining energy from all of you! If we can break them, you can be free…"

"The balls…?" Gamera whispered. Yes, the shadows were always strongest when those balls were on hand!

"We can't…" whispered CereCere.

"The hell you can't!" Rodan roared. "If you don't do it yourselves, we'll do it for you!"

And they moved to do so, grasping the orbs tightly, but the Amazoness Quartet refused to let go.

"These Amazon Stones are the crystals of our dreams! We won't be able to use magic anymore!" cried VesVes, struggling to keep a hold of her orb.

"It's alright…" Gamera strained against her hold on the gem. She was stronger than he suspected, or rather, the addiction… "Your destiny is guided by the fate you choose for yourselves and I know… that you are strong enough to break this curse upon you… I know that you can become what you were always meant to be…!"

"Sad to say, that destiny has been long since destroyed!" Zirconia sent another blast of fire, this time connecting with the Riders and sending them back and away from the Quartet. That blast was unlike anything the Riders had expierenced before. It was as though it was a twisted combination of the magic of the Sailor Scouts and the magic of the Dead Moon. Groaning, they started to rise, being helped by the Scouts. "If you break those stones you'll become adults and if you become an adult, you no longer need any dreams! You lose! There is no way to run away now!"

"No need to worry. We would never run away from this!" declared Sailor Jupiter, her hands on Gojira's shoulders, allowing him to get his breath back before standing.

"There is no reason for us to escape to a world without dreams!" Sailor Venus helped Rodan to his feet, an arm wrapped around his waist.

"That's right!" Sailor Moon stood proudly at the fore, this time being the one to stand between Zirconia and the Riders, a sentiment that was more than equally shared with her fellow Sailor Scouts. "We're not going to run away!"

The Quartet stared at the two bands of warriors, both now equally standing to their defense for something… something that none of the Quartet could remember or understand. Why…? Why do all this…? For them? They were the enemies just hours earlier! Why fight on their side?

"**Because… good things happen when you put other people's needs before your own… but more than that… the only true failure is the failure to try…**"

The Quartet looked to one another and nodded.

"To get our real dreams… our true destinies…!"

They threw the stones to the cold and unforgiving ground where they shattered into minute pieces which in turn became dust on the wind. The power that the webbing sought to drain became that which it could no longer siphon and it burned brightly from the true magic of the Amazoness Quartet.

"Hey, old hag!" VesVes scowled. What were these images… Memories? Dreams?

"Things won't go exactly as you plan them anymore!" promised JunJun. Small Lady…? Who was that? And why did she seem so important?

"It loks like the situation has reversed." Gojira noted idly.

"Damn you little wenches, little beasts…!" Zirconia backed away from them, fading out of sight. "Just you wait!"

"Aw man, I hate magic…" moaned Anguirus. Why did every bad guy have such an ability to slip right through their fingers?

"She's probably at the other end of this corridor." CereCere said, smiling at them.

"Because that's where she sleeps!" Which she JunJun was talking about, the Scouts and Riders had a pretty good idea.

"You guys…" Sailor Moon was surprised by their turnaround; perhaps Gamera and the others had been right after all… Still… why—

"Well, let's hurry." Sailor Mars was glad they were on their side and all but their was only so much goo-goo eyes she could take being aimed at Gamera.

"We have to save Rini as quickly as possible!" Sailor Jupiter reminded the group.

"Yeah… Let's go, you guys!" Sailor Moon led the charge with the Riders following behind and the Quartet… not moving at all. "Hey, aren't you guys coming?"

VesVes waved them off. "That drain left us a little bit woozy… You guys go on, we'll see you again. Promise."

The group exchanged looks but nodded regardless and continued on to catch up with Zirconia with the Quartet watching them go until… one by one… they fell to the ground, unconscious to the world and to themselves. Their bodies faded out of sight until four innocent orbs rested in their place, colored their respectful shades of the rainbow.

In the rafters, there was a sad sound, like that of a raven's tears, in the darkness of the Dead Moon tent.

--

Zirconia appeared before Nehelenia's mirror and bowed low before it as her queen's reflection appeared in the dark glass. "Lady Nehelenia…" Zirconia rose and her eyes widened at what Nehelenia held firmly in her hand. "That you have in your hand… Can it be…?" Even in the darkness of both the Dead Moon and its Queen, the Golden Crystal of the Earth Kingdom shined.

_"**Oh, Zirconia…**"_ Nehelenia kept her form hidden in the shadows of her world. _"**What is your greatest happiness?**"_

Confused, the ringmaster answered. "Of course, it is to see with my own eyes your true form which currently shows only in mirrors." Had she known it, Zirconia would have realized how much of a mistake she had just made. A very fatal mistake.

_"**Then, you remember what my greatest sadness was as well, right?**"_ Zirconia frowned in confusion. There really wasn't much that she could remember before coming to Earth in search of Pegasus… _"**I no longer want to see you as an image in the mirror!**"_

"Lady Nehelenia?"

_"**I don't have to see it anymore…**"_ Queen Nehelenia raised her hand slowly through the glass, this time with no ill effects. _"**My own figure showing in the mirror.**"_ Zirconia watched in confusion until she suddenly felt an agonizing pain in her hand, the same as her Queen's. Nehelenia pushed herself through the mirror. _"**Now,** begone_!" The more she came through, the more agonizing it was for Zirconia until, finally, she vanished in a haze of glorious red light.

"The seal has been broken!" Nehelenia laughed with glee as the mirror shattered behind her. Her catlike eyes gleamed with pleasure, the Golden Crystal shining in her tightly closed fist. "The world…"

--

Above, in the sky, the small sliver of the sun fell back behind the black magic of the new moon, a Dead Moon. Lightning black as a moonless midnight struck the air as several Dead Moon Circus tents floated down one by one to land amongst the skyscrapers of Juuban, slowly moving past the city to the rest of the island. Soon, all of Japan, nay, the entire world, would fall into darkness.

And there was nothing to stop it… not with the Golden Crystal in the hands of Queen Nehelenia, the Ruler of the Dead Moon… and sister… to Queen Serenity.

* * *

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

The time has finally come, the final confrontation between good and evil, between those of the White Moon and the ruling of the Dead Moon. Two great powers will confront against the other as a battle of wills, of dreams, comes to its final climax. This, my dear readers is truly the end. Of which party, even I cannot say…

Nightmare's End; Heaven's Inferno

* * *

Author's Notes: That's right folks, Nehelnia is a blend of her manga and her anime versions! Booyaka! Don't worry, there will be an explanation of this, Corvus no Genmu styled Nehelenia, later.

Bahamut: Much later.

Me: Shush! They aren't supposed to know that!


	22. Nightmare’s End

Me: Yoh, part three of the trilogy! ... Hey, that rhymed!

Mewtwo: Oh, Arseus... (palms face)

Bahamut: At last, the Arc is over then right?

Me: ...

Bahamut: Right?

Me: ...

Bahamut: DAMN IT, ANSWER ME!!

Me: ... (sticks out tongue)

Bahamut: _Mega Flare!_

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own what's not my own. **

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos**

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

Nightmare's End; Heaven's Inferno

The very chamber was trembling like the very earth beneath them was shaking apart. The Riders stood close to the Scouts, ready to grab them and dodge out of the way of falling debris at a moment's notice while Sailor Moon was kneeling down beside the broken mirror where they had found an unconscious Sailor Mini-Moon lying all but dead to the world around her.

"Sailor Mini-Moon… Mini-Moon!" Sailor Moon tried to gently shake her awake but nothing was working.

"She has received my curse… That girl will never awaken again." A voice laughed amongst the darkness.

"Who is that?" Anguirus looked around.

"Not the old hag…" mumbled Rodan.

"Show yourself!" Sailor Venus ordered the voice. The pillars surrounding them suddenly shattered and gave way to the quake, falling down upon them when Gamera's Terra Blaster lit up.

"_Flaming Barrage!_" Several large orbs of plasma fire shot upwards, creating a large circular space around them that was free of the fallen debris. The laughter didn't cease, somehow finding more amusement from their efforts than anything else. The group looked upwards to see a strangely shaped throne atop which rested the queen of the Dead Moon.

Lady Nehelenia.

"You are…?" Mars stared up at the woman, who looked so inhuman yet so not that she was a conundrum to the priestess. Though those eyes and ears did disturb her, if only slightly so, it was more the fact that she seemed… familiar that truly had her, and the other Scouts, on edge.

"I am the true queen of the moon, Nehelenia."

"Nehelenia?" whispered Sailor Mercury. When she pictured the ruler of the Dead Moon, she certainly didn't picture this woman floating above and before her. The Riders subtley moved closer to the Scouts, edging just in enough so that they were between the dark queen and the Scouts. They knew it would be suicide to strike her now, when they had no idea just what she was capable of but that was by no means a reason for them not to stand guard over their friends.

"And starting today, I am the one who will be the queen of all worlds!" Nehelenia's smiled deviously, earning much ire from the group of heroes below.

"What was that!?" exclaimed Sailor Venus; the arrogance of the Dead Moon Queen near unbelievable in its audacity.

"You ain't gonna be ruling anything except for your grave, cat-bitch!" Rodan yelled, his sword pointing up at her.

"What reasons do you have to do these terrible things?" asked Gamera, his voice hard and his fists clenched. The Riders, coming from a world where the people were all but forced to stay together to survive, they could not comprehend the idea that one person could be so selfish as to ruin the lives and dreams of others merely to attain something she had no right to have.

"You can't understand all the pain I've endured from such a long time within the seal's prison…" Nehelenia spoke to them as if speaking to a young group of children who could not fully understand her words. "I will give even more pain to everyone in this world… I will envelop this entire world in the shadows…" She chuckled at their disbelief, their anger.

"We will never allow you to do that!" exclaimed Sailor Moon, cradling the unconscious Mini-Moon in her arms as she stood before Nehelenia who merely laughed once more before raising her palm to face the leader of the Scouts and sending an invisible force of power to her. Sailor Moon only had enough time to turn her back on the attack before she was slammed onto the ground and pushed further along on the floor, creating a long and deep crevice.

"Sailor Moon!"

"How dare you…! Cast-On!" Gojira twisted his K-Zector around, a move shared with his fellow Riders.

"CAST-ON! CHANGE…"

"KAIJU OKAMI!"

"DINO PANZER!"

"SORA BUSHI!"

"ANTEDILUVIAN ARMA!"

"_Atomic Beam!_" An flow of energy burst out of Gojira's cannon straight at Nehelenia's head, an attack that was quickly followed by two others.

"_Slicing Hurricane Gale!_" Rodan's sword swiped sharply through the air, sending forth a blast of vacuumed energy at the dark queen's torso.

"_Gaia Slicer!_" Gamera uncrossed his arms, sending an X-shaped burst of pyronic energy through the air.

All three attacks were nullified before they could even get close to Nehelenia, who smiled at their efforts.

"Impossible…!" Anguirus couldn't believe his eyes. To stop all three of their attacks at once… not even the strongest of Critical Mass could accomplish such a feat! Just how powerful was she?!

"You don't understand?" Nehelenia sighed. "Now that I am released from the seal, I am the strongest as well as the most beautiful in this universe!" She pointed down, past the Riders, at the Sailor Scouts. "You from the White Moon, kneel down before me!"

"Not even over our dead bodies!" exclaimed Sailor Jupiter. "Right, guys?"

"That's right!"

"Of course!"

Oh yeah, pride was in excess amongst the Riders when it came to their Scouts. However, more than anything, they had just now been given a weakpoint to Nehelenia's defenses by the very queen in question. All that mattered now was using this weakness effectively…

The Golden Crystal resting in Nehelenia's left hand began to shine, revealing its true form hidden behind its outershell. Nehelenia raised her free hand once more and sent blast after blast of invisible force at them; not caring in the slightest if she missed or the damage she was causing to her own chambers. Nehelenia ceased only when the entire group was obscured by a cloud of dust and waited until it revealed the downed forms of earth's heroes.

"Now, you shall feel the pain…" Nehelenia promised.

Sailor Moon was the first to rise and rise she did, setting Mini-Moon down gently in order to stand up against the dark queen. '_I can't lose here…_'

"I can't lose here…!"

"You won't…" Gojira rose to his feet slowly, grunting slightly with the effort. Nehelenia's attack, whatever it was, was by no means the strongest that he had ever been forced to deal with. Already their armor as well as the mystical fukus of the Scouts was already underway in healing them of their slight injuries. The Scouts shared a knowing look before standing in a tight circle, their hands held out on top of each other.

The Riders slowly back away from the group, knowing what they were planning and hoping that this would be enough to stop Nehelenia. The Scouts joined hands, their eyes closing as their Aura now became visible to the naked eye. "_Sailor… Planet…_" The sheer amount of energy they were projecting was enough to drop the Scouts to their knees as it pooled in the center of their circle, glowing with white-hot intensity. "_ATTACK!_"

The attack shot heavenwards towards Nehelenia and exploded into bright beams of power.

"Did they do it…?" Anguirus hoped they had.

The lightshow died down revealing an unharmed and completely unfazed Queen Nehelenia, who looked more than a trifle bit bored with their efforts.

"What in the world is she!?" exclaimed Mars, gasping for breath.

Gojira didn't have the answer to that, only knowing that it was now the Riders' turn to press to the advantage once more. "Think you can do it?" he whispered to Rodan.

"Need a moment to charge it, but Commander… I might not be able to continue after it's done."

"That's a chance we're going to have to take, Rodan." Anguirus spoke.

"Right," Gamera nodded, "Get going. We'll keep her distracted as long as we can."

"Right…" Rodan stepped back, hiding behind a pile of rubble as his fellows stepped forward before the Queen of the Dead Moon. While it was true that they did not have the same ability to pool their power together like the Sailor Scouts, they had a common trait shared amongst them that would be more than enough to help in this situation.

"Hey, old hag!" Anguirus called up to Nehelenia, who stared openmouthed shock at the Brown Rider. He most certainly did not call her what she heard him say. Not if he wanted to live…

"You didn't think we'd forget about you now did you?" asked Gojira, shaking a finger at the queen.

"Though I'm sure at your age it must be hard to remember the important things; you are centuries old after all." Gamera spoke to her as though he was discussing the weather.

"And might I say you carry your age quite well." Anguirus nodded. "I can barely see those wrinkles around your eyes."

"Or the chips in your nails." Gojira offered.

"And I must say that make-up you're using does a good job in hiding the liver spots." Gamera nodded sagely.

While it was growing more and more apparent that Nehelenia was about to have an apoplectic fit on a cosmic scale, the Scouts, still on the ground from her earlier attack, were watching the scene play out with sweatdrops and confusion abound.

"What are they doing…?" whispered Sailor Mars, surprised by how well Gamera was at 'subtle' insults.

"I… I don't know…" Sailor Mercury didn't know that Anguirus could insult anyone, much less a girl.

"Go, Eiji!" Lita snickered to herself at how well her boyfriend was tearing into Nehelenia. "Give that witch a taste of her own medicine!"

Only Sailor Venus was aware of the fact that Rodan was crouched behind a piece of a pillar and was wondering as to why he wasn't taking part in this foray when she took notice of the increasing glow in the rockets on his back and how his holo-wings were flexing tightly for take-off. The Riders had a plan going, just what kind she didn't know, but Sailor Venus was all too ready to sit back and enjoy the varying shades of red Nehelenia's face could go through.

Sailor Moon merely sat back in confusion, halfway hovering over Mini-Moon in the likely event that Nehelenia would take the opportunity to strike and kill the girl while she was down. Though the situation was dire, even she was not immune to the amusement that came from seeing how utterly vain the queen of the Dead Moon truly was.

"I will put an end to you all!" Nehelenia screamed, rising to her feet and preparing the strongest blast of power she could when the sound of bells brought a pause to her assault. Sparkling light shined beside the still form of Mini-Moon before collapsing together to form a young boy, pale as snow with a rather familiar horn atop his head. Wasting no time, he kneeled down beside Mini-Moon and held her up, leaning close to her face. "This is all the power of dreams that I have right now…"

Their lips met in a kiss that would have made Sleeping Beauty proud.

Riders and Scouts alike blinked in shock, blushing slightly from the sudden romance. Of course, this mild distraction served only to infuriate Nehelenia far more than what the Riders were capable of doing, which was amazing in itself. "Damn you, Helios…" Jealousy added itself to the inferno of rage. "How far will you go to insult me!?" A blast of power sent him flying and, scared for her future daughter, Sailor Moon was quick to throw herself atop Mini-Moon when she heard her groan slightly. Her eyes opened slowly.

"Rini…!" Helios smiled, sitting up despite the lack of strength in his limbs.

"Sailor Moon…?" Mini-Moon blinked in surprise at the tears in her future mother's eyes before blushing as she remembered who woke her up in the first place, "Helios…!"

"Damn girl… to rid yourself of my curse… But now, you are no longer my enemy. The Golden Crystal is already in my hands!" She raised her arm up, the Golden Crystal shining when suddenly—

"Maximum Thrust!" Rodan exploded skywards, faster than the eye could see, and disappearing out of sight with an explosion of sound. One by one, a storm of Rodan's suddenly appeared in the air, all diving down to strike at the surprised Nehelenia who could do no more than shriek in surprise as the after-images fell past her, failing to strike with their weapons only to have the sonic boom from their passing do the trick for them. Her field of protection could not save her from the explosions of sound that assaulted her as Rodan broke the sound barrier over and over until he suddenly rose up into the air.

"Sailor Moon!" He held his hand high, the Golden Crystal held tightly in his hand. "Catch!"

Catch it she did and watched as Nehelenia, shrieking in rage, shot a blast straight at Rodan, impacting him heavily in the torso and knocking him right out of the air. With a burst of smoke, Gamera launched upwards and managed to catch the unconscious Rider, allowing his holo-shell to absorb most of the impact.

"Sailor Moon! Hurry!" Gojira stood beside Anguirus, the two providing defense against their fallen comrades.

She nodded and stood to her feet, holding the floating Crystal in her hands which she raised upward. Though she was angry, nay quite furious, with the Riders, Nehelenia did not seem too concerned at seeing the Golden Crystal in the hands of her enemy. Sailor Moon's eyes closed in a silent prayer. '_Please, Golden Crystal! Lend me your powers!_' The Crystal began to shine, revealing its true form to her, its light shining brightly upon her, touching the brooch that guarded the Silver Imperium Crystal above her chest.

The Golden Crystal went dark.

"NO!" gasped Sailor Moon, much to the horror of those still conscious in this fight save for their mutual enemy, who only smiled in triumph.

Nehelenia laughed as she brought her throne down to level with the ground. "Idiots… do you know why the Golden Crystal does not shine?" Much to her glee, Sailor Moon collapsed onto her knees in defeat while Anguirus and Gojira both cursed their luck. The Scouts were badly hurt, their injuries not healing fast enough, and two of their own were down so they were both forced to remain on the defensive. Lady Nehelenia stepped down from her throne, slowly walking towards them. "That Golden Crystal can shine using my powers of the darkness as well as the beautiful dreams of you humans! In other words, it is an energy amplification device! But now, there is no power in humans of this world to have beautiful dreams… not enough to make that Crystal shine!"

"You're lying!" Helios yelled from where stood beside Mini-Moon, startling the girl. "The people's power to dream hasn't been lost just yet!"

"Quiet… that the Crystal has lost its luster is proof beyond anything else." With a wave of her hand, ropes of webbing appeared out of thin air, binding the guardian priest. Mini-Moon gasped in shock before her eyes narrowed with a conviction that meant trouble for those who stood in her way and that one was Queen Nehelenia. "Believe, Rini!" Helios gasped, the pressure of the webs forcing the air out of his lungs. "Dreams may become lost but people are still able to dream."

Mini-Moon nodded and raced over towards Sailor Moon, kneeling down beside her. She clasped her hands over her elder's own, sharing in the burden of maintaining the Golden Crystal aloft in their hands. "Mini-Moon…?"

The Scout-in-Training ignored her in favor of keeping her attention entirely on the Golden Crystal. "Everyone, can you hear me?" She yelled into the Crystal, urging it to allow her voice to be heard. "All of you on Earth that have beautiful dreams! Right now, bad guys are attacking our world. They are trying to destroy our world! If we let these guys do what they want, this world that is supposed to grant our wishes… will be torn completely apart… They are trying to stomp down on all our cherished dreams and all the people we love. Please! Somehow, pray with me! Fight with me, and scream with me!" She and Sailor Moon both lifted the Crystal high. "_MOON CRISIS POWER!_"

Queen Nehelenia watched without a care, believing that her knowledge of the Golden Crystal surpassed whatever attempts the girl could make against her.

She couldn't be more wrong.

She was right in assuming that none had the strength to bend the Crystal to her will like she did, but she was wrong in believing that the Crystal was nothing more than a 'amplification device', an insult that it would not allow to go unpunished even as the voices of the people across the nation, across the world, chanted to the cry of its current holder. "Moon Crisis Power…! Moon Crisis Power…!"

And the sun once more began to shine.

"What's going on!?" Nehelenia shrieked, feeling her dark magic growing weaker when a burst of solar light broke through the ceiling of the tent, shining down upon the Moon Duo. Black energy raced around the Golden Crystal as shining flames burned brightly around its shell, melting away to reveal its true form, a shape quite similar to that of the Silver Imperium Crystal, and though it had been unused in all these millennia past since the fall of the Silver Millennium, the Golden Crystal was more than aware of the travesties done upon it.

And it, was angry.

It could not use its power to the fullest, not with her or the Queen, for though one was capable, the Golden Crystal still had its preferences… But… it could feel a small flicker, a single flame that shared in its power. True, there was a fire in Nehelenia, that came from the use of its power through the binding but… yes, he, that boy in black armor…

He was the one!

The Golden Crystal rose slowly into the air, a miniature ball of flames before shooting down and latching itself to the chest of the startled Gojira. The eyes of his K-Zector burned red before twisting itself around once, twice before latching itself firmly to his wrist.

And chaos began to reign.

"Initiating… Hyper System!"

"BURNING GOJIRA!"

--

In a time before time recorded, where such things as secrets and treachery were unknown. There were two marvelously grand kingdoms and they were the Silver Millennium and the Golden Kingdom. Both represented unity in its purest forms though they were on much different scales. The Silver Millennium a kingdom of worlds, of planets and stars that extended throughout the galaxy, where the ruling matriarch held the power of the Silver Imperium Crystal, the Gem of Order. The Golden Kingdom was a kingdom of nations, of people united on a world that, in a bleak future, would become divided over such trivialities as skin and beliefs. There, a patriarch, the High King of Earth, represented its divine power through the Golden Crystal, the Gem of Chaos. For several generations, the two kingdoms lived in peace though they were by no means enemies or allies.

They shared different beliefs in what was right and what was wrong by means of whether those wronged should be punished or forgiven. A small triviality to you it may seem but this was during a time where being forgiven truly meant a second chance at everything, including life. Where punishment could be severe as exile from any sentient life, to imprisonment amongst the darkness. Yet, despite these differences, the impossible occurred.

The princess of the Silver Millennium, heir to the throne of Serenity and the Silver Crystal… fell in love with the royal prince of the Golden Kingdom, heir to the throne of Gaia and the Golden Crystal.

Now, as you can imagine, this caused quite a stir that would stir the inspiration of Romeo and Juliet. Oh, by no means did it have anything to do with either of the Royal Families; some minor relations already marrying into either family but by no means having any large power. No, the tension of the situation was focused entirely upon two separate things.

The Crystals.

The two were created long before sentient life was formed in the primordial ooze, some said they themselves were what created life in the first place for these two, seemingly innocent crystals, held a great and unimaginable power. The Silver Crystal was the very embodiment of Order while the Golden Crystal represented pure Chaos. Neither was by no means a perfect embodiment for either could be controlled and this separated them from the primal forces that shaped the universe. Both were a double-edged sword in that they could do incredible deeds but even they were by no means able to disobey the Laws, especially the One.

In order to create, something of equal value must be given.

Queen Serenity had several large portions of her life in demonstration of this and had ultimately given up her chance of reincarnation, of ever being able to meet her daughter again in the Hereafter because she gave up the two priceless treasures to guarantee the safety of those who died during the invasion of the Negaverse.

Her heart… and her soul…

It was enough.

However… when the two Crystals were used together… The Laws became null and void and whosoever held the Crystals had the power to create… or destroy… It's already been said that either Crystal could destroy a star, with a sacrifice of course, but imagine if you would, that no price need be paid, nothing need be given up… The power to control… the power to create… the power to destroy… was near limitless in the capacity of whoever held the two Crystals.

This makes it rather fortunate that such a feat was impossible. Why? While it is true that either Crystal could bend to anyone who had the incredible power to accomplish such a feat, there was a reason as to why the two could only be used by the ruling monarch of the two kingdoms. Together, the Crystals would repel against each other, one having bowed to a matriarch and the other a patriarch… they could and would not ever work together in unity.

Unless a son and daughter born from the King of the Earth and the Queen of the Moon held their representative Crystals in hand, joined together in the way only those of family blood could be, would the two Crystals ever truly combine their powers together.

And the very universe will tremble from the combined might of two powerful kingdoms united for a common goal, aided by the physical representatives of Chaos and Order.

--

There was a phrase someone spoke in a world unfamiliar to everyone, including those from a different world themselves. The fault hadn't to do anything with time, knowledge was power after all. No, it had more to do with the fact that he who spoke such a phrase had no time to write it down, to make sure it would find its place in the histories of his people, of his world, because, in that sheer instant after he said the words, he died in the very inferno he spoke of. These, were his words.

"It's as though hell itself had arose and began to walk…"

This seemingly odd, if not blasphemous, phrase could not be better fitting to the situation at hand. Yes, Eiji had activated a third system, a system that he knew didn't exist, and yes he was given an immense burst of power but he was by no means aware of this. Like his armor and body, Eiji's mind was warped in a sea of raging flames that burned from the very depths of his soul, an agony he could not escape from. All he could do was try and release the fire by any means he could.

His armor reflected this; large portions of his chest and limbs covered in thick molten patches that threatened to crack from the extreme heat and metallic spines along his back glowing with primordial fire as were the claws on his hands. Steam rose from him as the very air around him was burning brightly. The Golden Crystal, seeing its task done, fell to the horrified hands of Sailor Moon, who could only watch as her friend slowly began to die right in front of her.

Burning Gojira slowly raised his head, staring up at the glaring Nehelenia. She did not believe in his strength, his newfound power, and in his agonized mind, he reasoned that she, and she alone, was the cause of his pain, his torture. Beams of energy burst out from inside him, striking at random objects but causing no lasting damage, as Burning Gojira slowly raised his arm up to have his cannon to bear.

"_Spiral…_" The beams were intensifying, reaching a radiance akin to that of a nuclear explosion. "_Atomic…_" His cannon was shaking, trembling with power that was begging to be released in a single but glorious blast. "_INFERNO!_"

And released it was.

In the future, in a world known as the Second Silver Millennium, the historians of Crystal Tokyo would write many descriptions of this power assault. Some would say it was no beam of nuclear energy that it was a spiraling beam of burning red power, a twisted combination of nuclear energy and whatever chaos added to him by means of the Golden Crystal. The very air was nearly set aflame from the heat and he was pushed back by the sheer force of the attack. Others would come to say that the Black Knight of the 20th Century had unleashed the very fires of Hell itself upon Nehelenia. No one could know the full truth for even now, the full truth was waiting to be discovered.

Nehelenia was surrounded by the fires, formed together in a tight globe of sheer power that completely overwhelmed her into submission as beams of shining light burst outwards through the circus tent. An immense shockwave blew outwards from the shining tent, destroying ever copy of its with ease, burning away the webs that encircled the city.

And through it all, Eiji Kusanagi continued to die.

That is, until another power decided that now was a appropriate time to intervene.

(_"Jazama Pajama Pajama Shimera Kazama Imera Imera Kazam Pajama Shimera Kazama Pajama, PAJAMA!"_)

--

_"Eiji…! Eiji, please wake up…! Eiji!"_

Who is that?

**That's your soulmate, Draco-kun…**

What…? Who, who are you?

**Come now, have you forgotten me so easily again?**

… Morpheus?

**Hehe… Close. You can call me such if you want.**

Am… am I dead?

**No. You nearly kicked the bucket though. Nehelenia knew nothing of the Golden Crystal, using her knowledge on its counterpart, the Silver Imperium Crystal, to guide her.**

The Silver Imperium Crystal?

**Your friend Serena possesses it. Feel free to ask her when you wake up.**

But… I…

**Hrmm?**

I don't want to wake up… can't I just… rest…? At least, for a little while… it hurts so much…

**… Draco-kun, you know that you can't…**

… Yeah… but… it's nice to dream isn't it?

**Hehehe… indeed it is… Draco-kun… Eiji. Listen to me. You can never again activate the Hyper System, no matter how dire the situation is.**

What…? Why?

**Aside from nearly burning yourself alive and taking a chunk out of your lifespan? … Its power is like… a beacon… if you use it, it will call to the one who gave you that potential to use it in the first place.**

Who? … My father?

**No, Eiji… Something else, something that you don't ever want to bring to this world you share now with the children of the White Moon.**

Alright… If you say so…

**Oh… and Eiji?**

Hrmm?

**Don't worry about the Queen and Princess, Helios will guarantee their safety. … And trust me, you'll want to find some advil.**

Huh? What do—

FLASH!

--

"Eiji… Eiji, please wake up…! Please… don't die…" Lita's eyes were overflowing with tears as she pressed her face against Eiji's unmoving chest. A sudden rise for air as Eiji drew in a shaky breath. Groaning, he slowly blinked open his eyes, looking up into the crying face of his beloved. He smiled weakly and brushed some of the tears off her flushed cheeks.

"Hey there… you're a sight for sore eyes…"

"Eiji…!" Lita pressed her lips against his own, a move he was slow to reciprocate but reciprocate he did with as much passion as he could muster in his weakened state.

"Ahem. If ya two are quite finished." The two separated, looking up at the scowling Takuya, his torso wrapped in bandages, and being supported by Mina.

"You gave us quite the scare there, Little Brother." Shiro was kneeling on his other side. He had a small bandage wrapped around his head and his robotic arm was detached and resting on his lap. Rei was leaning lightly against him, exhausted but smiling in relief at their victory. "We thought that we had almost lost you."

Eiji slowly sat up, with help/support from Lita, and looked around. They were in the midst of what looked like a warzone, a familiar sight to the Kamen Rider. "What happened…?"

"You went nuclear, Aniki…" Morisato chuckled from where he sat beside Ami, who was patching up his shoulder via Shiro's medical aid kit. "In all sense of the word."

"While I'm glad the idiot Kusanagi is alright, really I am," grumbled Takuya. "Shouldn't we be more concerned with the fact that a pair of meatball heads seem to be missing?"

Eiji glanced skyward for a moment and smiled. Closing his eyes, he shook his head. "Don't worry, they're in good hands." He started to stand.

"Are you sure you should be moving around?" asked Lita, keeping her hands pressed firmly on his shoulders to keep him from accomplishing this. "You weren't breathing for quite a while…"

"I'm fine, really… just…" He winced and pressed a hand to his forehead. "Could someone pass me an advil, please?"

--

It was in the afternoon on the next day where the group stood whole and complete once more on the very spot where they had watched the eclipse that started it all. The girls were completely healed thanks to their magic and most of the boys were well on their way as well, Eiji being the only one with a clean bill of health, much to the ire of Takuya. Even Shiisa and Midoriko, though not involved in the final fight, were there to see the mysterious Helios off to the world of Elysion.

"So you're going to go after all?" asked Lita.

"We finally became friends…" said Ami.

"If you want, you can live with us," offered Shiro. "We're planning on expanding the house anyway."

"Thank you…" Helios shook his head. "But I am the guardian of Elysion and I must continue to watch over the Golden Crystal until the time comes for when you are ready to receive it, my prince." He said to Darien, bowing his head, before facing the group. "Now that this world is peaceful, I am not permitted to stay in this world much longer."

"I see… that's a shame." Mina sighed, earning a suspicious look from Takuya, who got a teasing raspberry in response. Blushing slightly, the taller boy focused once more on the priest.

"Prince… Princess… Thank you very much. Thanks to you, I have been able to fulfill my duties. And, thanks to you and your kin, Eiji Kusanagi," he turned to the group of Riders. "Were it not for you, the Golden Crystal would never have been allowed a chance to fully rid itself of all the darkness that Nehelenia cast upon it."

"Don't mention it. Really." Eiji said.

Helios smiled. "Please be sure to send my thanks to his Highness as well."

Small looks were exchanged amongst the Riders. "… Yeah, we'll do that."

"Come on, Rini! What are you being shy about?" Serena was practically having to drag her daughter right off her feet to get her to stand before Helios and even then, the young girl's face was a perfect match to her hair color.

"I'm not shy about anything!" She ripped her arm free of Serena's grasp and looked towards Helios, who smiled warmly at the sight of her.

"Rini…" He held out his hand and, taking her own, kneeled before her and placed a gentle kiss upon it, like a knight to his fair maiden. The girls were all gushing at this and the Riders were smirking at Darien, who did not look as happy as he was a moment ago. Helios rose to his feet. "My maiden… I will never forget about you."

"Helios…" The girls leaned forward but, knowing what was to come, their significant others decided that now was a good time for a victory smooch. Lita and Rei were all too eager to receive and return, outmatched only by Mina, while Ami was remarkably red and shy about it, but she did not try to break it.

Rini leapt forward and embraced Helios tightly even as a storm of feathers blew past them, changing him to his other self, Pegasus. He soared upwards into the sky on wings of ivory as Rini gave chase down below.

'_My Maiden… I have troubled you so much… I apologize._'

"Pegasus…" Rini watched as he slowly began to melt away, back to the world of Elysion. "I haven't let you know anything about me or about my dreams…" Serena placed her hand upon Rini's shoulder.

"I'm sure you'll see him again…"

(_"Of course she will… he is her soulmate…"_) Had they looked back, at the trees, the group would seen a single raven sitting amongst the branches of the tree, but what made this raven so unique was that, unlike its brethren, it was the color of rainbows. Hanging from a thin cord around its neck were four familiar jewels that it held up with a single wing. (_"It's time to bring you girls back to bed… It's not time for you to awaken just yet… Who know's? Maybe, when you do, you'll have your own soulmates to have and to cherish."_) The raven's eyes looked skyward, seeing something that no one else could see. (_"My time here in this world is over now… I'm sorry my children, but I can not help you against her and my spell with last only so long… You must fight once more against the nightmare and only when you attain your victory will you be able to truly breathe freely on this world."_)

He flew steadily upwards, leaving a rainbow trail in his wake as he too vanished back into his world of dreams. (_"Best of luck to you all… my children… and children of the White Moon…"_)

* * *

To Be Continued...!

* * *

Bahamut: ... Damn you, Corvus.

Me: What? Hey, the movie counts. Besides, it will be totally worth it.

Bahamut: Oh? Why?

Me: Tell me, who hasn't gone Kamen Rider just yet?

Bahamut: The old... Oh, yeah this is going to be good!

Me: Oh yes... that reminds me... If anyone can guess as to what power the Golden Crystal saw with Gojira, I'll finally reveal the mysterious being who appeared several chapters ago. Here's a hint, the answer lies not in the canon Godzilla, but in the fandom. I hear the DA is a good place to start.


	23. The Black Dream Hole

Me: This... is it...

Bahamut: What? What's it?

Me: ...This... is the end...

Bahamut: ... No...

Me: ... Yes... it's time...

Bahamut: But, there's so much left to be done!

Me: ... No... it's overdue...

Bahamut: ... Let us end it then.

**

* * *

**

DISCLAIMER: Don't own what's not my own.

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos**

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

The Black Dream Hole

"When you smile… the world really gets much, much sweeter than the sweetest candies…"

--

It was a country in the old lands of Europe, where such renaissance structures could still be found with great ease. Here in this small and quant village, over several dozen young children slept, dreaming beautiful dreams with absolutely nothing to concern themselves over even as multiple cuckoo-clocks sung the third night hour. Above the songs of crickets, there came a sound of a flute playing a melody the likes of which drifted through the town, opening windows and unlocking doors, allowing child after child, eyes glazed over even as they moved out from their protected homes to the city streets walking with a mission behind the strange young man that led them like the legendary Pied Piper of Hamelin.

The children sang a song that wasn't composed of words, at least not words that any human could comprehend. No, only the piper understood the words though he could barely recall their meanings himself; he and his kinmen being the last of their kind on this wretched world where children were continually forced to grow up and abandon their sacred dreams. Now wasn't the time to think of such things. Looking back, the piper made sure the last of them had boarded the clownlike ship before climbing aboard himself and guiding the ship upwards into the skys where the children could at last be free.

Far below, left alone amongst the streets of a town where sleeping parents would awaken to find their children stolen from their beds, there stood another strange boy, this one far younger than the piper.

--

Eiji Kusanagi, age 6, was training diligently in his family's dojo, practing his punches and kicks against a robotic dummy that struck back with equal force. He was good, better than most his age, but not good enough against his training dummy, which slipped past his guard and dealt him a wicked right hook. Eiji fell onto his back hard, gasping for air before slowly rising up to his feet, wiping a dribble of blood from his mouth.

SNAP

Morisato Akichi, age 6, was working hard on a some small device on his mother's worktable, wires and gears surrounding him. Smiling, his flipped a switch and watched the activation lights flash a bright green before turning a bright red. Panicking, Morisato began to pull out various wires before the orb exploded in a bright burst of colored smoke. Morisato fell back off the stool, slightly singed, his face a vibrant blue. He stood up slowly, his fist clenched tightly as tears streamed down his young face. Another failure…

SNAP

Takuya Yashima, age 6, was sparring with a man over twice his age and experience in the kendo arts. He gripped his shinai tight as he struggled against his larger opponent, quite skilled for one so young and tall even for his age. Alas, power proved greater than speed and Takuya was dealt with a harsh blow to the side that sent him reeling. He landed on one foot, using his shinai as support as he breathed raggedly for air, glaring up at his opponent. No, he wouldn't lose, not again! He charged forward, shinai raised to strike.

SNAP

Shiro Saito, age 8, was standing beside a tall man dressed in white, handing him various tools and medicines as the man struggled to keep his patient alive. Though he was pale as the clothes on his back, Shiro kept his eyes wide and vigilant, taking in every detail of what was being done, what medicines and potions were being used and though he couldn't help but cry at the sight of a fellow child that laid dying before him, a victim of the Critical Mass, Shiro kept strong, his right fist clenched tightly in his mouth.

SNAP

Takuya yelling loudly at Morisato, who merely smiled and continued to egg the boy on.

Eiji and Shiro standing shoulder to shoulder, both holding out V-for-Victory signs.

Morisato leaning closely over Ami's shoulder, looking at computer, completely unaware of her embarrassment at his close proximity.

Takuya being dragged by an excited Mina, scowling as always but with a faint blush on his face from her bright smile.

Shiro and Rei working together on their archery, dressed in their religious garments and smiling at one another.

Eiji with his arms wrapped tightly around Lita's waist, her arms around his neck, the two of them leaning in close for a kiss.

Takuya winning on an racing game against Haruka and Eiji, neither of whom looked happy about it while Michiru and Midoriko merely smiled in the background.

Setsuna reading a book with Shiisa not-to-subtlely reading over her shoulder, his eyes curious and her face slightly flushed.

The group of Inner Senshi standing beside the Kamen Riders, the Outers standing by the Elder Riders, none in their transformed state, and dressed in their school or work uniforms.

--

It was early February, exactly two days, six hours, five minutes, and twenty-three seconds away from Valentine's Day according to one Mina Aino, the very embodiment of Love and Beauty amongst the Sailor Scouts. In fact, it was because of the close proximation to this romantic holiday that the girls were now within Lita's apartment, sharing the girl's appliances and expertise in the art of cookie baking.

"That smells good." Serena cooed, her hand drifting toward the oven door to take a glance at her wonderfully crafted cookies. "I wonder if it's time yet…" When a wooden spoon came out of nowhere and smacked her on the wrist. "OUCH! I'm going to check to see if it's done!" Okay, maybe that was half of the whole truth but for goodness' sake, was she or was she not Rini's future mother? A little more respect would be nice!

Serena would have to wait some time longer for such respect as Rini held up the cookbook Lita had given her. "I'm more sure of the book than your eyes!"

"What do you mean by that?!"

"Like you don't know!" Foreheads collided and began to push against the other for dominance when a giggling Lita stepped in to separate the two.

"Let's see." Lita leaned down and gazed through the shaded glass of the oven. The cookies were baking nicely but… "A little more." She looked to Serena. "We have to wait until the edges are golden brown." She explained.

"See?" Snideness, thy nickname was Rini. Vindictive anger, thy nickname was Serena.

Shaking her head at their antics, Lita went back over to the other girls to see how well they were doing. Rei and Ami were doing okay but it looked like Mina was having a hard time of it. Looking into the bowl at the lump of dough, Lita saw what the problem was. "It's too hard. Don't put the sugar in too quickly." She smiled knowingly. "If you're in a rush, nothing good comes out." Mina flushed at the hidden meaning of her best friend's words and set the bowl down, laughing.

"I guess so…" Her hand strayed to the plate of chocolate chips, snaffling one up and away, much to Rei's annoyance. A once full plate was looking the tragic victim of someone with a huge sweet-tooth with little left behind.

"Mina… Whatever the case may be, we don't have that many chocolate chips left." Mina took a few more, ignoring Rei's leveled glare. Really, just because Takuya didn't like chocolate…

"Well, I just can't stop," Mina smiled goofily and raised a finger as though acting as the teacher about to give a lecture. "As they say, you can't put a door on someone's mouth!"

Artemis sweatdropped from where he and Luna sat, their future kitten sitting between them, sighing at the antics of his charge. "I don't think that's what they meant…"

"It looks like we should give up on making chocolate chip cookies…" Rei sighed, unaware that Lita kept a private stash for her own cookies and was more than willing to share. She would have said something had their attention not been drawn to the method Ami was employing with her cookies.

Making sure that they was an generous amount of sugar stuck to the bottom of her empty glass, Ami pressed it down lightly upon one of her lumps of dough, not only spreading the sugar in a fair amount, but creating a unique design as well. Lita shook her head, smiling and not truly surprised, knowing in full detail of Morisato's sweet tooth when it came to sugar. "Just like Ami to be good at this."

"You've been secretly training, haven't you?" asked Mina, having the same suspicions as Lita.

Ami continued with creating her sugar cookies as she answered, "My mother taught me."

"Your mother?" Now that was surprising. Rei knew that Ami's mother was one of the head doctors, working in the same hospital as the boys' guardian, Midoriko.

"Yeah… She's not home much because she's so busy, but when I was in grade school, she would often bake me cookies like this when I was depressed. She would say, 'Here, Ami, these are special cookies that will cheer you up a hundred fold!'…" The girls smiled at that, having similar memories of their mothers making special treats just for them during their troubled times. The sound of the cuckoo clock in Lita's living room alerted them to the third daylight hour.

"The three o'clock fairy already…" Lita noted.

"Three o'clock fairy?" Now that was something that teased at the back of Luna's mind.

"What's that?" asked Serena. "The 'three o'clock fairy'?"

Lita flushed in slight embarrassment at her slip. "Oh, um, it's nothing special…" she said, hoping they'd let it go.

"I'm kinda interested, I want to hear what it is!" Of course, Rini would be and, of course, she'd tell her. Lita sighed, at least it wasn't any more teasing about her relationship with Eiji. She'd tell them, despite the heartbreak it'd bring.

"My mother used to bake me cakes and stuff when I was young, too…" 'Gosh, how long ago was that…?' "And when I asked her why she always made me snacks at three o'clock, she told me that it was because of the 'three o'clock fairy'. She said that a fairy tells all mothers to make snacks for their children at three o'clock." Lita laughed lightly, remembering something rather funny. "And since I didn't know what she meant by the 'three o'clock fairy' I had thought she meant that little bird that pops out of that clock." She waved at the old clock in question, one of the few items she kept to remember her parents.

"Three o'clock fairy…" whispered Rei. She remembered Shiro talking about fairies once… but darn, she couldn't recall for sure…

"The cakes that my mom baked me were special…" Lita smiled, filled with a pleasant sort of nostalgism that was slowly spread amongst the others.

"I always thought that too when my mother baked me cookies…" Ami sighed, remembering more of the emotions than the actual tastes. "It wasn't so bad to be depressed…" She giggled. The older girls sighed, remembering times long past and daydreaming of a future where they'd play those roles themselves when Rini suddenly spoke up.

"I'm kinda jealous…" She sighed, somewhat exasperatedly. "Because, even in the future, my mom can only make me burnt cookies." The reaction was instantaneous.

"Why do you always say stuff you don't need to say?!"

"Sounds like Serena!" Rei laughed behind her hand.

"Definitely!" Mina agreed.

"I'm touched!" Little Diana spoke up, smiling. "Confectionaries are so full of wonderful memories!"

Rei made a determined face matched only by her tightly clenched fist. "But future happiness is more important than memories?" Who was going to woo a certain aspiring monk? A little priestess named Rei, that's who!

Mina's eyes were bright, her hands clasped together in hope. "And this coming Valentine's Day I'm going to hand-bake stuff and grasp that happiness!" Takuya was rubbing off on her it seems what with her striking her hands together in eagerness like a streetfighter would.

"Um, if you can hand-bake confectionaries, you can grasp happiness?" asked Diana, confused by their reasoning.

"Of course!" Mina agreed. "That's why we're all learning how to bake right now!"

Serena pushed Lita forward slightly. "Especially because Lita is a genius when it comes to baking!"

Lita rubbed the back of her ponytail in embarrassment. "Nah, I'm not that good…"

"Then Miss Lita has already grasped happiness…?" It is simply amazing how one young kitten's innocent question can be conceived as being so naughty that everyone, her parents included, flushed bright red. Lita herself looked as red as the rose earrings she wore, small puffs of steam rising from the collar of her shirt. Even the unfazeable Luna was looking a little hot under the collar.

Pun most definitely intended.

"Happiness is the time when you are in pursuit of happiness!" Lita had really hoped that these words would divert them but she was quick to realize just exactly how she sounded. Mina and Rei both were sharing catty grins, Ami too embarrassed to even look at her, and Serena and Rini both snickering right behind her.

"Oh really, Lita?" Mina giggled.

"Do tell…!" Rei urged her to continue. Lita knew that this was going to end up being a bad idea from the start!

--

The very objects of their affections, were completely unawares of the current goings-on that was occurring in Lita's apartment, only knowing that today was a girl's-day-only. In other words, no boys allowed. Knowing better than to argue, and having things of their own to do, the boys let it go and focused on more important things.

Like the loss of their M-base powers.

Midoriko had tested their blood herself, including her own in the mix, and had verified that their genetic code was still altered, thus containing the M-base, but whatevers powers the extra gene gave them was suddenly now null and void. It was scary for them at first, to be so… human… those powers had always been there, weakened yes but still innately there and it frightened them at how weak they felt without them. Midoriko offered her sympathies but she was secretly glad of the loss of her magic for now she could keep her vow truly.

The same could not be said for Shiisa, who spent little time at their home and less time training them. Though, according to him, he had nothing left for them to really learn and while it was fun to kick their butts it was, "Beginning to become rather boring". This of course led to a large free-for-all against the older man where he emerged as the victor once more, smiling proudly for them lasting so long against him. Then there was the strange smiles he wore whenever he came back from whatever businesses he had outside in Juuban. Sometimes, he was smiling like a child being told that Christmas was being combined with their birthday, as well as Halloween and Easter to add extra fun to the holiday. Others, it was pleased smile as though he had accomplished something small but worthwhile in the long run.

Takuya had tried following him once and Morisato had even placed a bug on him to see where he went. Not only did their efforts fail, it earned them a large amount of personal time spent honing their weapons skills against their Sensei. Fighting Shiisa Miyrabi without a weapon was asking for trouble but fighting an armed Shiisa, now that was just crazy.

"Damn it… Sensei is brutal when he's mad…" groaned Takuya pressing a large bag of ice to his aching ribs. Who knew the man was so skilled in tonfa? Takuya and Morisato apparently.

"I ache in places I didn't know I could ache…" Morisato moaned, several icepacks covering his short, but wider, frame.

Shiro shook his head and continued looking for a potion to speed up their healing. At least that much hadn't been taken from them… "You shouldn't be sticking your noses where they didn't belong then, Mori. You should be glad he didn't force you into the Gauntlet."

Morisato groaned pitifully. The Gauntlet was a special training method that Shiisa claimed to have invented. Basically, it involved taking one's students out into the middle of the woods and leaving them there with nothing but the clothes on their backs. It was their job to secure shelter, food, and water while, at the same time, defending their camp from invaders, namely their Sensei.

"Whatever Shiisa is involved in," said Eiji. "He'll let us know if it should ever concern us. We've not told him everything ourselves now did we?" And indeed they hadn't. Shiisa and Midoriko had accepted their explanation of Helios being the one to have given them immunity to the Dead Moon's magic thanks to a mysterious fourth party, and thus far, none of them were eager to tell the full truth just yet.

Shiro's eyes narrowed, catching more of what Eiji wasn't saying. "Are you still troubled about the girls, Little Brother?"

Eiji sighed and closed his eyes. "I just feel… uneasy that they use… crystals… that's all."

Morisato shook his head. "Aniki, both Miss Midoriko and I have checked those crystals of their's several different ways from next Tuesday. Believe me, they're nothing like what we had on the old world."

Old world. That was quite an accurate description for the world that was once their's. It was over a year now that they had been taken, or perhaps rescued, from their dying world and placed in this one. None of them knew how or why and, after a time, they stopped questioning it. Still, old habits, and older fears, die hard. It took some time for them to accept that whatever powers the girls used, the need to channel them through this… Planet Crystals was necessary.

Then there was, of course, the Silver Imperium Crystal.

That Crystal, out of them all, was the only one that truly bothered Eiji the most for it was sibling to the Golden Crystal and it was that Crystal that had activated the third system; the Hyper System. Even Shiisa and Midoriko, two of the co-creators of the Kamen Rider armor and the systems, had no idea as to what it was or how it was created.

The side-effects were quite apparent on their own.

After that ordeal, Eiji had needed a large amount of sleep to recuperate. Of course he was awake to see Helios off and to assure Lita that he'd be fine and that he'd just need a little nap but after that he was out for a light for a week straight. He waited a few more days after to activate his armor and, after some rigorous training, Eiji was satisified that whatever the Hyper System was, it hadn't destroyed his being able to become Kamen Rider Gojira.

As long as he could continue to protect those precious to him, Eiji had nothing to concern himself over.

How wrong he'd turn out to be.

--

Rini was more than happy with how things turned out in their cookie baking. Sure, her cookies were not the most presentable things but it was the taste that mattered most. These cookies were guaranteed to give a hundred fold courage and a hundred fold power with a single bite.

It was also very gratifying to see that Serena's own tasted something awful.

"No matter how you look at it, I win this match!" Rini smiled proudly. She was on her way to Darien's apartment, eager to give him her cookies and to show off. True, she no longer had any special feelings for him, it still creeped her out just remembering the crush that she had on her own future father! But there really was no way for her to give such treats to Helios now that he was back in Elysion…

"Match?" Diana could always be counted on to get Rini out of a funk before it even had chance to start.

"Yup. It's a given when I get Darien to eat one!" Rini suddenly stopped and stared, blinkingly, at a boy standing in front of a candy store. Was it just her or was he dressed rather like an elf? And what was with those wings? They were so pretty… but as quickly as she saw him, the image vanished, revealing an ordinary boy.

Having not seen what her princess had seen, Diana asked, "What's wrong?"

Honestly, Rini didn't know but she did have a huge amount of suspicion. She marched over to the boy, completely unawares as to how she had been able to see him in his truest self. Being a princess of both the Silver and Golden Crystals, as well as housing one such Crystal in her dreams and the other on her person, Rini was slowly, ever so slowly, being given the same kind of powers that her mother and father possessed in the far future.

The boy became immediately aware of her attention since she was standing not a foot away from him, staring quite openly. She walked circles around him, looking at him in every possible angle like Eiji-sensei had taught her. Of course, she was forgetting his lesson in subtlely as she was being quite obvious and still staring up at him with a suspicious frown. He was a few years older than her and yet her had pearly-colored hair, not quite grey and not quite white but an odd yet cute mix between the two. He was also dressed like a foreigner, which he probably was. England maybe…

Diana, having only watched but paid no attention to Rini's lessons, meowed a hello at the boy, who smiled at her.

"Oh, you're a cute kitty."

"Her name's Diana." Rini closed her eyes, kind of in a huffy mood. Darn it, she just couldn't See! Maybe if she asked Shiro to help…

"Well then, nice to meet you, Diana." The boy leaned down and smiled at the little kitten, who finally got a whiff of the boy's scent. With an excited mew, she leapt onto his shoulder and began to give lick him. He tasted really good, like sweet stars! "Oh, wait, that tickles!" The boy laughed.

Rini hid her laughter behind a hand, the moment just too cute to believe. Diana looked between the two and decided to regain her proper roost atop her princess' head. Said princess, finding no reason to really be rude, or suspicious, of the boy, decided to ask, "So, what are you doing here?"

The boy looked to the door of the candy store, watching as a mother and her young child exited it, the child carrying a small box of cookies and asking her mother if she'd like some. "I'm watching the kids that come out of here. Everyone looks so happy."

"Of course." Rini waved at the store window where many sweets and cookies were on display. "This is a candy shop!"

"Yes, this is a good town…" The boy had a really pleased, yet relaxed face, as though he had nothing to truly worry over. "All the mothers look so kind…"

Rini sighed exasperatedly, suddenly reminded of her own mother. "There are mothers who aren't, too." She went off on a kind of rant as the boy looked down at her in surprise. "My mom is a klutz, a crybaby, and a ditz… and she takes my snacks and eats them herself!" She rubbed the back of her head, suddenly embarrassed. "Well, I eat some of her snacks too, so…"

The boy giggled. "You're kind of funny…" She looked back at him but saw that his attention was drawn more at the sweets in the display window. "This really is a heartwarming town… All the candies look happy too."

"You understand how the candies feel?" asked Rini. Hey, she and her mother and her godmothers transformed in magical girls in sailor suits and her sensei and his friends transformed into armored warriors with the power of monsters at their command. Anything really was possible for this boy.

"See, they're about to dance around because the kids love them so much!" The boy spoke so excitedly, so convincingly, that Rini had to see for herself. She pressed her face close to the window, and close to the boy's own, to gaze at the tray of cookies that he was looking at. The boy blushed a bit at how close she was and stepped back to watch her as she looked for such a sign.

"I can only see that they look really delicious." Rini pouted a bit. The boy smiled and placed a glass flute to his lips and began to play a little tune. Suddenly, a group of cookies lifted themselves up into the air, making a crude shape of a female figure. The cookie person began to dance, much to Rini's shock. She looked back at the boy and knew instantly that he was responsible for the cookies' dancing, but she was quick to look back upon them as they finished their little dance and floated down to rest once more on the trays.

"No way…" Rini turned to look at the boy, who smiled at her obvious delight. She knew he was magic, having witnessed the magic of Midoriko and being taught by her as well, though not as much as Eiji-sensei. She stuck out her hand to the boy. "I'm Rini!"

The boy looked at her hand to her face to the hand again before taking it, blushing a trifle, as he introduced himself. "My name is Peruru."

--

Shiro was busy sweeping the temple grounds, deep in thought yet not deep enough to miss what was, to him, quite obvious. "Good evening, Lady Rei. I trust your day with the Ladies went well?"

"Mmm, I guess." Rei pouted slightly. She was still concerned over Shiro's feelings. Yes, he never mentioned anything of the Quartet, more specifically VesVes, but Rei knew he was still worried about them. The Quartet hadn't been seen since the fall of the Dead Moon after all. Well, today she was going to secure those feelings once and for all!

"Shiro!" Rei got right in his face, glaring up at him. "Here!" She held up the bag of chocolate-chip cookies she had made. Shiro took half-a-step back, his eyes having been blocked by the bag, and stared at it in confusion. He propped his broom against the temple wall and hesitantly took the bag from her hand with his artificial limb.

"I…" Shiro blinked. '_How long… how long has it been since anyone…_' Before his mother and father passed on, he realized… He blinked back the tears, and smiled warmly at Rei. Shiro wrapped his human arm around Rei's shoulders, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Thank you, Rei-chan…"

Rei blushed, smiling in delight. He rarely called her such but when he did, Rei knew he was immensely happy. "Go on and try one."

He did.

'_Delicious…_'

--

"Why… do you smell like chocolate?" asked Takuya, his arms crossed as he stared down at Mina, who was smiling a bit too happily to the ponytailed boy's liking. Here he was sitting at the Crown Café, drinking some juice, and then suddenly Mina appeared out of nowhere, giggling like mad and making sure to keep something out of Takuya's prying eyes as she seated herself down beside him without so much a hello.

"No reason…" She giggled.

"Sure, and I'm the grandson of the Red Baron. What do you have there Mina?" She giggled some more, before holding up a small plastic bag of cookies, plain with a bit too much sugar.

"I made these especially for you!"

Takuya blinked, looking at the bag in surpise, for once not having a smart-aleck response. He'd never had anyone make anything for him, not cookies anyway… He took the bag slowly and held it up to his eyes, looking at it rather oddly. The cookies were shaped like… he blinked. They were shaped like his holo-wings. He looked at Mina. "You made these? For me?"

"Uh-huh! Try one!" She was extra-bubbly today but Takuya couldn't quite bring himself to be annoyed as he often pretended to be when Mina got into such a mood.

Takuya looked at that bag and slowly untied the bow and pulled out a cookie and, after closely looking it over, took a bite. He chewed slowly before swallowing. He was no stranger to sweets, having had Morisato go absolutely mad in attaining every sweet imagineable back when they had first gained the luxury to choose what they wanted to eat. However… this was by far one of the best cookies he ever had and it had absolutely nothing to do with the taste whatsoever.

He placed the bag down on the table, ignoring Mina's suddenly concern at his lack of a reaction. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, burying his nose in her hair. She smelled like a bakery, not surprising really. "Thank you, Mina." He placed a kiss on her forehead. "This means a lot to me. Really."

Mina was positively beaming and blushing with delight. Oh yes, she was a freaking genius! If Takuya thought her cookies were good, wait until Valentine's Day!

_"All over the world, a strange case of kidnapping has been going on where every child in a given town disappears overnight…"_ Takuya and Mina stiffened and turned their attention to the café's sole radio, as were the other patrons of the Crown Café. _"Now, this crime has been confirmed in 43 cities across 27 nations. The location of the children or the demands of the kidnappers remain unknown."_

--

"Here." Rini held out her bag of cookies to Peruru. It was already late in the evening and though she enjoyed spending time with the slightly older boy, Rini had to hurry home or she'd be late for dinner.

"What is it?" Peruru couldn't really guess as to what was in the bag.

"Cookies that I baked." Peruru took the bag in both hands and stared at it before looking back at Rini, who immediately went on the defensive.

"What? I know it's not that attractive but what counts is the taste! One bite gives a hundred fold courage and a hundred fold power! These a are special cookies!" She added with a huff.

"I can have them?" He never had a gift given to him before, and certainly nothing as homemade cookies.

Rini smiled and nodded. "Yes." She started to run down the sidewalk. "Bye!" Peruru smiled happily after her. She stopped suddenly and turned back around to call out to him.

"Let's meet again!" She waved goodbye and Peruru found himself doing the same, still smiling brightly. It was only when she had turned down another sidewalk that the boy realized what he was doing and, for a moment, he stared at his hand in confusion before smiling and blushing at the warm feelings his newfound friend had made in his heart.

This well and truly was a heartwarming town…

--

Night.

The hours of darkness, where those that walked in shadows could go about freely. It was by no means a time strictly reserved for the happenings of evil for many wondrous things often occurred in the darkest of nights. Without the night, there would be no stars to guide us home, to tell stories of time's past, and there would be no heavenly moon waxing and waning with every passing day, just a little bit closer and just a little bit farther from our reach.

Mysterious things could happen in the night, beings as old as the ancient castles of Europe could roam amongst the ramparts once again, or perhaps those of the dark nature could roam with their packs, their families, searching for food and shelter but most of all, the thrill that came from the midnight hunt. Good or bad, many things occurred in the midnight hours of the night.

Too bad that good was nowhere near the situation of this night in Juuban.

Windows opened, letting the sounds of a flute float gently upon the wind, to those recipient to its charms as doors unlocked themselves to allow the captivated ones to follow the music back to its source.

In the Tsukino family home, Rini was no such exception.

--

"What is she doing…?" A dressed, and rudely awakened, Serena muttered to herself, watching as an apparently sleepwalking Rini made her way down the sidewalk. Where, the ponytailed blonde didn't know.

"Serena!" Mina's voice cut through her confusion and Serena turned around, surprised to see her friends along with their boyfriends running up to her.

"You guys are all here!" She had only called the girls but she shouldn't have been too surprised that at least one, or maybe all, of them called the boys. Serena pointed over towards Rini. "See, over there. Rini's acting weird."

"Believe me, if it was just her, I'd still be sleeping right now." Takuya groused, pulling slightly on his ponytail.

"Look over yonder." Shiro pointed to the opposite sidewalk.

Serena looked and gasped. "You're joking, what is that?"

"A parade of midgets." Morisato quipped.

"Like you're one to talk, Akichi." Oh yes, Takuya wasn't going to stop being grumpy anytime soon.

It was an apt description really. A line of children, ranging between the ages of four through ten, walking down the sidewalk with strangely matching steps.

"It looks like every child in town is sneaking out of their houses." Ami said.

"Are little games like this popular nowadays?" asked Mina, having been raised more in England during her childhood years, she thought things might be a little different.

"C-Can't be!" Rei sweatdropped. She knew she was older, but certainly not that old to be out of such a loop!

"They were saying on the news how kids all over the world were disappearing." Eiji stated.

"It probably has something to do with this," muttered Lita.

"No shit, Sherlock." Unbelivable. Takuya was even grumpier half-asleep than awake.

"Does that sound like a flute to you?" Rei suddenly asked.

"Eh?" Shiro blinked. "A flute…?"

The group grew silent, to better hear the sounds. Yes… yes, it was a flute. Faint and quite hushed, but still… to hear it even at this distance… Ami's mini-computer was in her hands in an instant, already tracking and gauging the music of the flute.

"A strange energy is being released with this melody!" Ami exclaimed.

"You don't think it's the Pied Piper?" asked Morisato.

"Whoever it is," said Takuya, "they're gonna pay for interuptin' my sleep!"

--

It was strange to see the children walking in perfect coordination but it was downright disconcerting to hear them sing a song in a language none of them could comprehend much less how well they sounded. They soon arrived at the park where a large, snail-shaped airship was resting near the sandbox.

"I wonder what that little ride is?" Diana asked, thinking it as another attraction for the park.

"Not exactly the words I would use, Diana…" Artemis sighed. His future daughter, still young, was far too naïve…

"In any case, we can't leave the kids like this!" exclaimed Luna. The group nodded and ran ahead of the children to cut them off before they could enter the ship. Serena herself took a firm grasp upon her future daughter.

"Rini… Wait." She grunted slightly as Rini tried to continue to walk forward.

"Let go… Let go…" The small girl spoke in monotone that was truly strange to hear.

"Small Lady, please, get it together!" begged Diana.

"Really, I have no choice…" Serena sighed, not really liking what she had to do but, hey, when the opportunity arises… She quickly held Rini under her arm and, with the other, smacked her firmly on the behind. Diana winced and stepped back. Serena gave the girl another hard smack, which proved enough to break her out of the spell.

"OUCH! What are you doing, Serena?!" For all Rini knew, she was merely sleeping in bed when her tyrant of a mother decided to… She blinked and looked around. Why was she in the middle of a playground? "Where am I?"

Serena set her down on her feet, speaking with quite the exasperated tone. "Really… you don't remember anything!?"

"Everyone, come on, go home!" Lita spread her arms out but the children kept marching forward.

"You shouldn't go on a weird thing like that…" Mina tried to convince them before joining the girls in trying to push the children back.

"Hey, I think it looks like fun." Morisato said.

"You would." Takuya grunted, really tempted to start smacking buttoms. The children pushed past them, speaking in monotone.

"We're going to a dream world where it's full of candies."

Eiji shivered at the creepiness of the situation. This was turning out to well and truly be like the Pied Piper!

Rei suddenly looked up at the head of the ship and saw the piper for herself who had finally stopped playing. The music gone, the children slumped to the ground, asleep, as their companions on the ship did the same. The piper stood and looked down upon them, not aware of how thankful some of them were that he wasn't dressed in pied.

"Don't get in our way." The piper spoke.

"And who are you?" asked Shiro. Innocent people hit a sore point in all of the Riders, but children, especially ones as young as the lot around them, was an especially sore point to Shiro. No one was doing anything to a child on his watch.

"The children gathered here of their own will. Do not get in our way." The piper looked down on them, frowning. How he detested adults…

"So you're the one that brought the children out here!" said Mina.

"We won't let you have your way anymore!" frowned Lita.

The piper sighed, pulling out something from the folds of his shirt. "Well, well, we have a lot of nuisances tonight…" He turned to face them, sneering and revealing his elfin qualities to them, before tossing forth a bunch of small somethings with a cry of, "_Papiyot!_"

The girls and boys quickly stepped back out of the way though the objects halted in midair before them.

"What is it?" asked Serena, the dim light making it hard for her to see.

"Candy?" Eiji blinked in surprise. What was this elf planning? To beat them with cavities? The piper played a tune on his flute and the candies slowly unwrapped themselves, revealing hard blue candies beneath the wrappers which soon jiggled larger to the size of a small beachball. Two pairs of limbs popped out of the balloon-like body before a baby's head popped out on top, demented smile on its face.

"Holy shit!" Takuya stepped back in shock. "It's the candy from Hell!"

The nine candies slowly circled around the group as their maker called down to them from atop his ship. "Get them, Bonbon Babies!"

One flew down at Rei, who dodged the first strike before elbowing fiercely in the gut causing it to launch upwards, slamming into a lightpost, before ricocheting back at her and knocking her off her feet.

"Rei!" Shiro started to go to her but had to suddenly stop and hold back against one of the Bonbon Babies with both his arms. It was hard to hold on to since it wouldn't stop wriggling and it felt more like it was made of jello than candy.

Mina was doing a good job dodging the little monsters and had even managed to deliver a good spin kick on one. Unfortunately, the law of ricochet in concern to these babyish beasts applied itself once more and the thing quickly made way back at her only to be punched out of the way via Takuya. "Watch your back," he grunted, before turning to deal with his own little monster.

Ami gasped and ducked as one came flying at her face only to be kicked skyward by Morisato, who grunted from the effort. Lita was mimicking Shiro in trying to push one back but was slowly being pushed back herself. Eiji was having the most difficult time of them all having been in the middle of the group earlier, he was forced to deal with a good amount of the Bonbon Babies.

As for the Moon Duo…

They were currently running like their lives depended on it from the sole Bonbon Baby that had decided to target them.

"Don't come here!"

"Stay away!"

"Rini, do something!"

"No, YOU do something!"

"No, YOU! I'm older so you listen to me!"

"Like you can talk!"

Wow. Just… wow…

"Everyone, transform!" Luna called from the sidelines.

'_Don't have to tell me twice…_' Eiji dodgerolled away from the horde. Morisato and Takuya mimicked his movements, getting out of the target range of the Bonbon Babies as Shiro tossed his skyward. They grasped the K-Zectors adorning their wrists. "Execute! Kaiju Spirit Evolution!" Their girls held their transformation wands up into the air as their Planet Crystals appeared onto the hilts. "CHANGE! KAMEN RIDER…"

"GOJIRA!"

"ANGUIRUS!"

"RODAN!"

"GAMERA!"

"Mercury Crystal Power!"

"Jupiter Crystal Power!"

"Mars Crystal Power!"

"Venus Crystal Power!"

Unfortunately, the bunheaded duo were still preoccupied with their Bonbon Baby and, seeing the situation, Sailor Venus decided to assist them. "_Venus…!_" Her planet symbol appeared in a sparkling mass over her right hand. She blew a small kiss, creating a heart-shaped orb of energy. "_Love and Beauty Shock!_" With a sweeping of her arm, she sent the beam flying through the air, blasting the Bonbon Baby right in its large torso. The thing turned into a jiggling mass before dropping to the ground, nothing more than an ordinary piece of candy.

Serena and Rini, having ducked to avoid the blast blinked at the sight before looking to each other and nodding. "Moon Crisis Power!" Sailor Moon and Sailor Mini-Moon were now part of the fray.

"_Shine Aqua Illusion!_" Mercury uncrossed her arms quickly, sending a blast of sub-zero water turned a Bonbon Baby into a chunk of ice, which cracked to pieces before reforming into an ordinary piece of bonbon.

"_Sonic Winding Slash!_" Rodan was having a way too much fun if his slicing off his Bonbon Baby's limbs was any indication.

A joint attack between Sailor Mars and Gamera burnt two to a fiery crisp, a method that was shared by Sailor Jupiter and Gojira.

Anguirus smashed his easily with a "Ancient Strike!" and Sailor Moon finished off the last one with an old, but classic, move of "_Moon Tiara Magic!_"

"Who are you guys?" The piper had obviously never seen such a group of warriors as the Kamen Riders or the Sailor Scouts.

Sailor Moon and Mini-Moon eagerly stepped forward, with Sailor Moon starting the introduction and Mini-Moon matching her actions. "I was waiting for that! We are defenders of justice known throughout the world! We can't forgive a villain who abducts good children like a pied piper. For love and justice!"

"Pretty soldiers in sailor suits!" exclaimed Mini-Moon.

"Sailor Moon!"

"Sailor Mini-Moon!"

"In the name of the moon, we will punish you!" chorused the Moon Duo.

"We, the Sailor Scouts, won't forgive you either!" chorused the rest of the group.

The Kamen Riders themselves merely stood in the background, sighing in slight disappoint. Well, since it was already too late for a sneak attack… and they had to admit they were kind of curious…

"And we are warriors of peace and veteran soldiers of war. We will spare you no mercy in your defeat. For justice and peace!" Kamen Rider Gojira stood to the fore.

"Awesome guys in kick-ass armor!" exclaimed Anguirus.

"We are the Kamen Riders, and we will defeat you!" Gojira waited for half-a-moment before saying, "Yeah, we are never doing that again." He looked over at the girls, who were all wide-eyed at the spectacle. Surely, they didn't look like that when they did it… "And neither are you!"

"That… was just embarrassing…" grumbled Rodan.

The piper huffed at their antics, floating over to stand more atop of the head of his aircraft, playing another tune of his pipe. This one was different than what he had played to summon forth the Bonbon Babies and had an entirely different effect on the Riders and Scouts below.

The Scouts suddenly found themselves in a beautiful meadow where there were flowers abound.

"W-What's going on?" Sailor Jupiter looked around and was worried that none of the Kamen Riders were with them. "Where are the Riders?"

"Something smells really sweet." Sailor Mercury noted, her eyes closed to better take in the smell.

Sailor Mini-Moon looked past the hills of flower and saw for herself the cause of the delicious scent. "It's from that house!"

"Is that…" Sailor Mars could barely believe it. "perhaps… a gingerbread house?"

Indeed, it was down to the size and everything.

"Sailor Moon!" Luna yelled up at her charge but was unheard. The Scouts' eyes were glazed over, as though they were seeing something that the black feline could not see for herself and their other senses shut down.

"What's going on, Mama?" asked Diana.

"An illusion…" muttered Luna. "They're being shown an illusion with that flute's melody!"

"A nightmare illusion…" Artemis muttered, his attention entirely on the Kamen Riders who were having a very different reaction to the piper's spell than the girls.

The piper's spell was built entirely upon the dreams of children, the fantasy of candy delights and houses made of gingerbread, making the factory of Willy Wonka himself look pale in comparison. However, the spell had never encountered the likes of the Kamen Riders who had never truly dreamed as children, their youth spent in training and struggling to survive in a war-torn world.

No, they did not see flowery fields or candy houses. Artemis' description may have been a bit of an overstatement but not overtly so. Eiji was in the midst of a collapsed Tokyo, covered in a nuclear fog that only the likes of him could withstand. Surrounding him were mutated humans, warped from the radiation and the powers of the Crystals. What made it all the more terrifying was that every single one of these humans were people he knew, people he cared about, people he loved…

Morisato was in the ruins of the headquarters, struggling to dig through the dirt and rubble, trying to find someone left alive. It was his creation, a bomb capable of the same effects of the hydrogen bomb without the side-effects that had done this. He had miscalculated and now his friends, his family were paying the price, being buried alive underneath several tons of burning rubble…

Takuya was standing in the foyer of his ancestral home, the walls bare and ashen from an old fire. Cobwebs covered every corner and the scent of blood, freshly spilled filled the air. Surrounding him were members of his clan, standing and acting as though they were alive but they couldn't be, not with mortal wounds decorating their corpses. His mother and sister walked up to him, one badly burned and the other, a dried husk, both asking him if he'd like to join them…

Shiro was leaning against the wall of a skyscraper, his right arm missing, a gaping wound that was still bleeding. He felt weak, having no energy left in him to use his Terra Blaster, but he had to keep moving! He could hear the screams of his friends, his family, his Lady, amongst the dark alleyways of the abandoned Osaka. The cloud of poison was thick in the air and it wouldn't be long until he succumbed to the effects…

Throughout the dream and nightmares, the piper smirked, delighted at the turn of events, orchestrated separate concerts with the melody of his flute when a rose pierced through the air, slicing its thorns against his hands, stopping his playing. The Scouts blinked twice, the illusion around them dropping instantly.

They, along with the Piper, looked to the shadows of the trees to see none other than Tuxedo Mask standing proudly atop one of the highest branches.

"Tuxedo Mask!" The Moon Duo had stars in their eyes instantly.

The masked man looked down at them and said in a perfectly straight voice. "You shouldn't bite into that, Sailor Moon."

She blinked in surprise and looked at the object in her hands that had been a doughnut in the illusion that was now something else. To be specific, a park of the monkey bars set. Blushing and sweatdropping in embarrassment, she laughingly shoved it away only for it to slam into her jaw. She was down on her knees instantly, cradling her mouth as she cried, "Ow! Owowowow!"

Tuxedo Mask leapt onto the airship, ready to confront the piper while the Scouts and Riders collected themselves.

"You're one of them?" the piper asked, his eyes falling for a moment on the Kamen Riders, who had collapsed to their knees, trying to shake off the emotions, the senses that had told them of how realistic that illusion of the piper's was.

Tuxedo Mask held his cane like a sword and pressed to the attack only to be pushed back with a small burst of energy from the laughing piper's hands. Tuxedo Mask rolled in midair, landing on his feet on the deck of the airship. The piper held his flute to his lips and played another tune. Slowly, and sluggishly, the children aboard the craft converged on Tuxedo Mask, like miniature zombies. The masked man jumped back to the railing of the ship but the children held his legs tight as the piper played another, more familiar tune.

Another Bonbon Baby appeared and slammed into Tuxedo Mask's chest with the force of a cannon ball.

The Scouts quickly moved to assist, the Moon Duo kneeling down beside him. Five more Bonbon Babies appeared in the air, starting to converge upon them when the sound of another flute stopped them in their tracks. The music may have stopped the Bonbon Babies, but it also did some good to the Riders who shook off the last of the illusionary spell and stood to their feet.

"Wait, stop!" a voice called from atop one of the playground toys. The Scouts and Riders looked to see a young boy, perhaps a few years older than Rini, dressed completely in white with pearl ornaments. He too, was elfin-like, much like the older piper, and he was quite familiar to Sailor Mini-Moon as his flute, and the bag of cookies, were a dead giveaway to his identity.

"Peruru?"

"Is that you, Peruru?" called the piper. "What do you mean by this?!"

"Brother! Since when do you do such violent things without thinking!?" yelled Peruru.

The piper didn't answer; he didn't have time to when another voice spoke. _"**Pupuran, what's this all about?**"_

The elfin piper, Pupuran, turned and kneeled as the eyes of his ship glowed brightly to project the image of a pale woman dressed in red stars and clothed like an Englishwoman would be expected to dressed as. "Lady Badiyanu…" whispered Pupuran just loud enough for everyone to hear.

_"**What's the matter? I will not allow delays in the plan.**"_

"Yes… But Peruru's here, and he…" Pupuran did not want to get his younger sibling in trouble but he did not desire to incur Lady Badiyanu's wrath upon himself either.

"Why do you want to collect so many children even when it means doing such violent things?" It was against their nature to do such things and yet his brother did so, so easily? Why?

"You're being rude, Peruru!" Said brother was obviously angry at his younger sibling's disrespect.

"I won't believe this is true." Peruru knew he should have trusted his first impression of the woman when he first met her! If she could do this to his brother… "Badiyanu, I can't trust you after all!"

"Lady Badiyanu is doing this for the eternal happiness of all the children!" Pupuran could only cover for his brother so much, and his brother wasn't making it easy for him.

"I can't believe that." Peruru said.

Sailor Mini-Moon, forgetting the lesson on subtlety, ran up to elven boy. "Peruru!"

Badiyanu's image smiled knowingly. _"**I see… so that little girl is fooling you…**"_

"No!" Peruru yelled in denial. "She has nothing to do with this!"

_"**Continue your work.**"_ Badiyanu instructed Pupuran, ignoring Peruru completely who did not kindly to that in the slightest.

"Badiyanu!"

She smiled, revealing vampiric fangs. _"**Bring her along with the children.**"_

"As you wish," said Pupuran, bowing his head. Badiyanu pointed at the group of Bonbon Babies, sending bolts of black lightning upon them. The group suddenly separated into the attack.

"Badiyanu!" screamed Peruru, only to receive mocking laughter from the woman's hologram as she faded out of sight.

"Looks like we're back to battle." Gojira raised his cannon.

"Get them, Bonbon Babies!" Pupuran commanded.

"Brother!" What had Badiyanu done to the brother that Peruru remembered? Was he gone completely?

Gojira's G-Force Cannon glowed brightly before a machine burst of nuclear fire shot out from its barrel. "_Atomic Fire!_"

Gamera's own gun, the Terra Blaster, began to shine as well before similar bursts of plasma energy shot up into the horde. "_Flaming Barrage!_" The horde of Bonbon Babies was destroyed with ease but instead of falling to the ground, they reformed back into their monster forms. One began shooting down at Sailor Mini-Moon and while Peruru tried to command it stop via his flute, it kept going and none of the Scouts or Riders could attack it without possibly hitting her or each other.

Tuxedo Mask took care of that by tackling the thing just short of hitting her. Grunting slightly in pain, he pushed himself to his feet only to be impacted once more in the chest via the cannon ball like force of a Bonbon Baby. Tuxedo Mask flew throught the air before hitting the side of Pupuran's airship and sliding down to land facefirst on the sand covered ground.

"Nooooo!" There were tears in Mini-Moon's eyes as she screamed. Was she so weak, was she so defenseless?

"Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Moon dodged a Bonbon Baby and quickly made her way over to her fallen hero as Mini-Moon started to do the same only to be grabbed from behind via another Bonbon Baby. Hauled up into the air with the other children via the Bonbon Babies, she was deposited amongst them aboard the airship.

"Mini-Moon!" yelled Mars.

"Kid!" Gojira had to restrain himself from firing his G-Force Cannon. If he missed and hit her… that didn't mean he couldn't try and blast the ship though. A sentiment that was shared by Jupiter. The two launched a quick attack against the closing door of the airship but they gained nothing. Not even a scratch or a burn marked its surface.

Purpuran was already sitting in his earlier relaxed position, chuckling to himself before playing his flute once more in the same tune as before. The children 'awoke' and began to sing as the airship slowly started to take off into the air.

"Shit! Cast-On!" Rodan turned his winged-shaped K-Zector around as Gamera did the same.

"CAST-ON! CHANGE!"

Rodan's wings flared and he soared upwards into the air. "SORA BUSHI!"

Tortoise shell and claws appeared on the Emerald Rider, Gamera. "ANTEDILUVIAN ARMA!" With a burst of plasmic smoke, he followed after Pupuran's airship.

By now, the airship had already gained some height. The two could see Mini-Moon struggling to push against the crowd of children on the ship's side. With a flare of energy and smoke, the two Riders took off into the air after her. Pupuran, seeing this, altered his tune only slightly as to summon two Bonbon Babies that piledrived themselves into the two flyers with the force of a cannonball being fired at pointblank range and continuing with the same force until the two impacted upon the ground with an explosion of dust.

"Shiro! Takuya!" Their significant others as well as their two fellows ran to their side as Sailor Moon and the rest watched helplessly as the airship flew upwards and disappeared into the clouds.

He had to hurry, Peruru realized, he had to get to his own airship and back to the palace in order to save Rini. Oh yes, he knew it was her, his eyes could see past the spells that protected her from the prying eyes of mortals. But that wasn't important right now, he had to save her! Leaping down, the elfish boy started to run off when Sailor Jupiter and Gojira stood in his path.

"Oh no." said Jupiter.

"You're not getting away. Just who, or should I ask what, are you?" Gojira stated, his cannon surprisingly not raised against the boy, who merely sighed sadly, tears in his eyes. More people to get hurt…

--

Sailor Mini-Moon remained silent amongst the crowd of singing children, her face set in the neutral mask that Eiji-sensei had taught her. She wouldn't break, she was stone and stone didn't break, not easily. She'd wait until the others came for her. She knew they would. Not only were they capable of following them, but they had Peruru to help them.

True, she didn't know how he added up in all this but still, she had to hope right?

Two more airships appeared beside the one she was on, also commanded by elven like pipers. As they drew closer to a particular cloud embankment, Mini-Moon was surprised to see a large palace appear seemingly out of nowhere, one spire at a time. They landed within one such spire and were welcomed by the wicked woman from earlier, Lady Badiyanu if Mini-Moon remembered correctly.

"Welcome children…"

The doors opened and the children swarmed forward into the darkness of the front hall, their joyous cries growing silent far too quickly to Mini-Moon's liking. Slowly walking forward, she tried to peer through the darkness but only saw strange boxlike structures floating in midair. Stepping closer to them, she gasped in horror at the sight of the children lying within them, asleep to the world.

Black lightning came out of nowhere, grasping her in its shocking grip and hurling her off her feet and dragging her through the air and palace hallways which, as she saw, were made of more of these boxes, also filled with sleeping children. As suddenly as the trip started, it ended as she was unceremoniously dropped to the floor.

"Was it you, that fooled Peruru?"

Mini-Moon looked up and stifled a gasp. Standing atop a floating platform was the wicked woman, Lady Badiyanu, and it was with a cold feeling of dread that Mini-Moon realized that the hologram of her did her exact justice. She was indeed a giantess, towering at over fifty feet in height, which she imposed further by floating up in the air as she did, surrounded by black lightning.

"I see…" she whispered, her eyes gleaming. "I feel a strange energy out of you…" Mini-Moon stiffened. She no longer housed Helios yes, but that didn't mean the effects of his staying were going anywhere anytime soon. "Do you want to enter the coffin of dreams like the other children?" asked Lady Badiyanu. "It's any time now."

She was stone, she was stone, she was—

"Soon," continued Badiyanu, "this planet will be completely engulfed in my Black Dream Hole. And in the center of this castle, the Dream Energy from all the dreams of children gathered by my Black Dream Hole is being absorbed, and the energy is still growing… And soon, it will completely swallow this planet… Then, every foolish human on Earth will be living in the Coffin of Dreams…" Lady Badiyanu sighed dreamily at the idea. "What a beautiful sight it will be!"

Oh, screw it!

"Are you an idiot?" Sailor Mini-Moon was perhaps learning a bit too much from Takuya than Eiji in tact. "Like that will ever happen! Totally impossible!"

It was hard to tell if Lady Badiyanu was shocked at her audacity or Mini-Moon's totally lack of care towards her plans. "Oh? Why do you think that?" She really was curious to know though she had a general idea.

"Because Sailor Moon is on Earth."

--

"This is not a normal storm cloud…" Artemis whispered, looking out the window of the home of the Kamen Riders.

"Darien is all right." Luna walked up to him, smiling. Midoriko did excellent work as a doctor and a healer. She easily rivaled the old healers back in the Silver Millennium, at least from what Luna could recall. "His injuries are severe but not life-threatening."

The boy in question was lying on a bed in the freshly made guest room, one of two actually, and had been given some medicine for the pain though not before receiving a stern lecture about wearing something more than a tuxedo to fight crime in. Serena was there kneeling by his side with the girls by her side. The others were in the back corner of the room, keeping a watch on the boy, Peruru.

"Serena…" Darien squeezed her hand slightly, the medicine making him weak and drowsy.

"Oh, Darien…" It really hurt her to see him like this. He had only just recovered from Nehelenia's dark magic… this couldn't be good for him…

"Where is Rini…?"

Serena's eyes widened before looking away, close to tears. She hated lying to him, but she couldn't tell him the truth, it'd only hurt him more. "She's all right." The girls looked between a mixture of concern, worry, and anger. Two of their Riders had nearly been injured as badly as Darien had been and it was only thanks to their armor that they turned out okay. "That pesky brat just has to be all right…" Whether Serena was trying to convince herself or Darien, none of them could tell.

Midoriko placed a hand on her shoulder. "He'll be fine and I'm sure she will be as well. She has you for a guardian doesn't she?"

Serena nodded shakily, rising to her feet.

"It will be dangerous." Peruru spoke up.

Takuya grunted, wincing slightly. Darn ribs nearly cracked but he was going to do a lot worse to that Poo-poo-whatever when he got a hold of him.

"Believe me," muttered Eiji. "We've been through worse than you could ever dream of. Let's go."

--

Shiisa stood by the doorway, watching as they walked away before sighing to himself.

"You can't go with them, Shiisa." Midoriko spoke from behind him, restarting what was fast becoming an age-old argument between them. "You'll only end up getting in their way without your armor. You are formidable without it, yes, but against these monsters? Against magic? You'd be a sitting duck."

"Heh… you're right about one thing." Shiisa started down the steps, walking off after his charges. "Keep the lantern lit."

"Shiisa!" But he was gone and she knew there was nothing she could say or do to stop him. He was as stubborn as Eiji's father when he wanted to be. She sighed and started to close the door but stopped. She looked up at the unlit lantern hanging from beside the door.

Yes… she'd keep the lantern lit, to better guide her family home…

--

Peruru's airship rose with surprising speed up into the lightning clouds, past Tokyo Tower. He had already told them everything that they wanted to know, far too willingly for the Kamen Riders' liking but if Rini had been there… they knew she would have vouched for him. She might be young and as difficult as Serena at times, but she was as good a judge of character as her elder was.

"We must hurry." He said. "If we get sucked into the Black Dream Hole, we will never be able to rescue Rini."

"The Black Dream Hole…" Mars muttered. Its name alone sounded bad enough; if it was really a controlled black hole…

"I have to find a way to save her…" whispered Peruru. It was his fault, getting her involved in this. He shouldn't have been so obvious! Now she was captive and prey to Badiyanu.

"There's no chance that we're getting caught in a trap…?" muttered Sailor Venus, her head resting on her wrists as she gazed down from the ship's railing.

"We've no choice but to trust him now…" said Sailor Jupiter.

"Best be prepared anyway. Treachery is no stranger to us." Gojira stated calmly, looking over towards the boy in question.

Sailor Moon was looking more at the bag attached to Peruru's waist. "You got that… from Rini, right?"

Peruru looked to the side, blushing. "I…" He suddenly looked up, his senses responding to something the Scouts and Riders could not feel. "We're entering the cloud now. It won't be long after we break through that we'll reach the palace."

They slowly moved upwards, past layer upon layer of cloud bank until they were above the line and moving across a sea of clouds towards their destination. Sailor Mars stiffened, pressing her first two fingers against each side of her head to better focus her innate skill of ESP. "What?! There is a tremendous amount of evil feelings right there in front of us…"

Gamera tried to See for himself but didn't even gain a flicker. "Hrmmm… Sailor Mercury, can you computer see anything?" Rodan's visor could only offer so much and Mercury's computer was designed and created by magic was it not?

The bluenette activated her visor but she couldn't see anything either. Not too surprising really, for while it was hidden by magic, it was a kind of magic that none of them had ever dealt with before.

Fae Magic.

Peruru pressed his flute to his lips and began to play and slowly, a palace began to take shape amongst the clouds. The group of people behind him moved to the front of the ship, gazing over the edge to the place that Peruru and his kind once called home. It was a better place then, compared to the monstrousity it was now…

"That is Marzipannu Castle where all the kidnapped children are." Badiyanu had even renamed it, claiming it as her new throne and they had given it to her freely. How foolish of them… of him… to have trusted her so blindly…

The palace, if one could call it that, was huge, virtually the size of Juuban and resting atop the clouds like they were the very earth it defied to touch. There was a strange mix of ancient spires and advanced technology that made up Marzipannu Castle, like it was created via the combined dreams of fantasy and science fiction.

As they were coming in for a landing, an explosion of smoke drew their attention to the side of the palace just before the airsac above them exploded into flames. The ship tilted dangerously, sending them all tumbling to one side before it stabilized.

"What the hell was that?!" exclaimed Rodan, angry at himself for failing to see the cannon ports on the castle walls.

"A cannon!" exclaimed Mercury, having used her visor to zoom in on the port in question. The cannon fired once more and Mercury prepared to return fire when Anguirus jumped forward to the head of the airship.

He held his Ankylo Hammer up like a baseball bat, waiting for just the right moment when, with a shout of "_Ancient Strike!_" He slammed the cannonball straight back towards the cannon, missing it only by several yards.

"Everyone hold on!" exclaimed Gojira. "This is going to be a bumpy landing!"

And indeed it was for without the air shell to support it, the ship was loosing altitude quickly. It skidded across the ground, the long oars breaking apart, drawing close to a large ravine near the center of the palace. The ship fell over onto its side as it skidded to a halt in the small ditch that led into the deep ravine.

The group groaned, some happy that they were alive and okay, and others more glad that the ride was finally over, when their attention was brought up to the trio standing above them.

"What is the meaning of this, Peruru?" Pupuran asked, clearly not remembering that he had been trying to kill him just moments earlier. "To bring those outsiders here!"

"I'm going to stop Badiyanu!" Peruru declared, quite bravely, to his older brother and his two fellows.

"Return Rini and all the children!" demanded Sailor Moon, walking forward to stand beside Peruru.

"Rini?" Pupuran quirked an eyebrow before smiling knowingly. "Oh, that little girl, Lady Badiyanu has taken quite a fancy in her."

"She supposedly has the best energy to nurture the Black Dream Hole." Spoke the fairy on Pupuran's right, Pamamu the snake fae.

Sailor Moon gasped in horror while Peruru looked well and truly mad. "Such a thing… I can't forgive her!"

"You fool, you shall die here as well." Pupuran ignored the hurt in his brother's eyes, turning to his allies. "Be carefull. They are no ordinary humans, those girls have elemental magic and the men… are dangerous."

Together the three tossed forward a large handful of wrapped candies with a cry of, "_Papiyot!_"

The three played a melody on their flutes, turning the candies into Bonbon Babies, which were colored to match their creators oddly enough.

"Dibs on the blue lardballs!" Rodan ran forward, leaping high into the air and brandishing his Primal Sword in hand. "_Sonic Winding Slash!_" Faster than the eye could see, Rodan managed to decapitate five Bonbon Babies before dropping to the ground and rolling out of the way of Sailor Jupiter's "_Jupiter Supreme Thundercrash!_"

Black lightning surrounded the Bonbon Babies for a moment, instantly reviving those that were destroyed and adding more to the mix in the process.

"Lady Badiyanu's dark energy is strengthening." Oranja, the fruit fae, gloated.

"Now you have no chance of winning." Pupuran spoke plainly.

The group was being pushed back, despite the efforts of Gamera and Gojira blasting at the horde. They healed quicker than they were destroyed with every blast. The group was being pushed against the edge with the horde of Bonbon Babies pressing down upon them when an orb of orange-colored energy, shaped like a ringed planet, shot through the air an impacted against several of the vile little things.

"That attack…" gasped Sailor Moon.

"Whoa, check it out…" Anguirus pointed up towards the spire overlooking the ditch they currently stood upon. "Look who's finally decided to join the party."

Anguirus' voice was strangely sarcastic but the Scouts were too shocked to notice though the other Riders weren't. They too shared in the similar sentiments of their friend and fellow Rider of the three that stood above them.

"Guarded by Uranus, the planet of the skies, I am the soldier of flight, Sailor Uranus!"

"Guarded by Neptune, the planet of the deep sea, I am the soldier of affinity, Sailor Neptune!"

"Guarded by Pluto, the planet of time, I am the soldier of revolution, Sailor Pluto!"

"Three soldiers from the outer rim of the solar system…" said Sailor Uranus.

"Led by a new danger…" spoke Sailor Neptune.

"Have arrived!" spoke the three Outer Senshi together.

"Uranus! Neptune!" exclaimed Sailor Moon. "Pluto!" Their reunion was quickly cut short by another surge of Bonbon Babies.

The orb above Pluto's key glowed brightly as energy convered into a purple globe around it. "_Pluto Dead Scream._" The attack was barely heard, whispered as it was, but it was launched with the power of a cannon, destroying the entire mass of Bonbon Babies in one shot, forcing the magic of Badiyanu to heal them all at once or not at all.

Gojira had to admit that alone was pretty impressive but his opinion of the three would not be changing anytime soon. The three Outer Senshi skidded down to join the group, giving the Kamen Riders odd looks but otherwise kept their attention on their fellow Sailor Scous.

"How did you get here?" asked Sailor Mercury.

"A large amount of dark energy is growing inside this castle." Sailor Uranus stated.

"And in other news, the sky is blue. Either say the answer or refuse to speak!" snapped Rodan, more than slightly offended at Sailor Uranus self-proclaimed title of 'Soldier of Flight'.

Said soldier was looking none to happy at the Crimson Rider but kept her mouth shut as Sailor Pluto spoke, "Sailor Moon, there is currently a threat to Small Lady's life, right?"

Sailor Moon's nod was barely discernable but Pupuran's exclamation was not. "You had more allies? How did you humans find this invisible castle?" He demanded to know as his and his fellow fae's Bonbon Babies reformed above them.

Sailor Neptune held up her talisman, the Deep Aqua Mirror. "No tricks work on my mirror." She held the small handmirror so that its reflective glass was aimed towards the trio. "_Submarine Reflection!_" A ray of sparkling dust blew upon the three, who cringed, covering their eyes from the light and failing to see how their flutes shined brightly, revealing their one and truest weakness.

Sailor Neptune looked to her partner, who nodded and started forward, her Talisman in hand, the crimson blade gaining a powerful energy. "_Space Sword… Blaster!_" With a slash of her blade, Sailor Uranus sent a wave of energy through the air that sliced Oranja's flute with ease. Oranja didn't even realize what had happened before he flickered out of sight with an orange colored cuckoo bird hovering in his place before it took off out of sight, his Bonbon Babies vanishing instantly.

An figure moved amongst the shadows of the downed airship, having heard and seen everything that had occurred shortly after the crash. 'Now I can't let them have all the fun!'

A golden form raced past the group and shoved Sailor Uranus aside, leaping high into the air. He ran circles around the remaining pair of fairies with ease, leaving a trail of dust in his wake. Pamamu tried to defend himself from the golden blur but was sent flying through the air with the figure's ferocious cry of, "_Wolf Strike!_" The golden form was standing on all fours before leaping skyward, past the tumbling fairy, and twisting around to give a fierce kick to Pamamu's arm, snapping it and the flute. "_Hunter's Moon!_" A cuckoo bird as pink as can be with a tilted wing flew haphazardly out of sight, the pink Bonbon Babies vanishing with it.

"Cast-Off!"

"Cast-On Disengaged."

The figure landed and darted forward, grasping Pupuran's throat tightly in a gloved hand, the claws just a hair's width from tearing the skin asunder.

The Sailor Scouts, Outer Senshi included, stared in open-mouthed shock, the Kamen Riders doing the same with a hint of bug-eyedness beneath their helmets.

The man, for he was as tall as Sailor Pluto and carried himself much like an adult would, was a Kamen Rider dressed in a dark brown bodysuit covered in gold samurai-like armor with tufts of golden fur attach to the elbows and ankles. The helmet was shaped like the head of a liondog, the ruby-red visor held in its mouth, and behind the helmet was a lion's mane of hair that fell down to the Rider's waist. He held no weapon on hand or on his person, he didn't need one with his skills being more than enough to do the job, and was that a lion's tail?

He looked down at them. "You've gotten slow, Rodan. You used to catch on to the obvious far quicker than this."

The words were enough to knock the Riders out of their shocked stupor. "SENSEI?!"

"Sensei?!" gasped Sailor Jupiter, "You mean he's—"

"Kamen Rider Caesar at your service." The Gold Rider nodded in greetings to the group before turning his focus entirely upon the wriggling Pupuran. He allowed him enough air to speak but otherwise kept his grip tight lest he play up another spell. "What are you planning by abducting all the children?"

"D-Damn you…" Pupuran gasped. "W-We're going to ch-change this planet… so that kids ca-can stay kids forever! What's wrong with that?!"

Caesar was silent before he dropped the teenaged fairy to his knees. "Nothing." Pupuran looked up in shock before his eyes glazed over from the sharp blow to his neck. "Just that there's more fun things to do as an adult than as a child." Pupuran fell in an unconscious heap to the ground before Caesar picked him up like a sack of potatoes and slid down to join his gobsmacked students.

"Caesar." Gojira spoke calmly as he stepped into his role as leader of the Riders, but inside he was screaming, 'When, How, Why?' as he spoke, "You're not as fast as you used to be."

"You are learning to be more observant, Commander." Caesar looked down at Peruru, whose eyes remained on his brother. "I believe this one belongs to you?"

Peruru looked shocked, but his eyes were welled up with tears of relief. His brother was still on Badiyanu's side but he was still fae and that was as much as being alive for their kind. Peruru nodded and played a tune on his flute. Slowly, the airship righted itself and moved so that its gangplank was adjacent to them. "The ship is all right." He said. "Please get on quickly!"

"I am expecting an explanation later though… Sensei…" Gojira whispered to Caesar, who nodded just slightly so. Gojira turned his head to look out the corner of his visor at the approaching Outer Senshi. "Think we can trust them?"

"… The key-bearer yes. I'm not too certain on the other two."

--

The group was traveling through the tunnels of the palace via the airship when the Outer Senshi finally decided to speak, or rather, one of them.

"Sailor Moon… this boy is…?" Sailor Pluto asked, her eyes on Peruru.

"Rini's friend." She leaned down, smiling at the young boy. "Right?"

Peruru looked down, his eyes glimmering.

He kept silent.

On the opposite end of the ship, a different conversation was taking place.

"So you're the Kamen Riders we've heard so much about…" Sailor Uranus looked Rodan up and down, much to the Rider's annoyance. "Can't say that I'm impressed."

"Nor can I," snapped Rodan. Uranus visibly bristled and would have started something had Neptune not placed her hand upon Uranus' shoulder.

Gamera shook his head but didn't chastise the Crimson Rider. Of all the Sailor Scouts, these two were not to be taken lightly if their past interactions with the others were any sort of clue.

"Rodan." Gojira spoke up from the side of the ship, far from where the other Scouts could hear them. "Don't try starting a fight with the pretenders."

"What was that?!" Uranus was not going to let that go.

Gojira gave her a leveled stare. "You may call yourself soldiers but you bring nothing but dishonor to those that are. You've gone against your commanding officer and refused to work and exchange information with those that, while not in your unit, were still part of your regiment. Soldier you say? Hrmph. Pretender is far better a word for you."

"You speak as though you know otherwise." Neptune noted.

"Give them a reason to trust you," said Caesar. "And you'll hear the full story… Michiru." Neptune stiffened and Uranus moved to be between her and the Gold Rider, who didn't bother looking at them, keeping his attention to where the ship was going. "If you plan on attacking Haruka, I'd recommend doing it when my student's blade isn't aimed at the neck of your lover." Uranus' eyes widened and she turned her head to see that Rodan was standing right behind Neptune, his Primal Sword just inches away from her chin. "Setsuna trusts me and, for whatever reason, she trusts you. I trust her and her faith in people. Don't break her trust and you won't break mine."

He started towards the front of the ship, the other three following behind him. Rodan scoffed and sheathed his blade with a flourish before following after them, ignoring the glares he was receiving from a certain tomboyish blonde.

"You know who they are." It wasn't a question, not from how Gojira spoke.

"Yes."

"How?" asked Anguirus.

"I'll tell you the details later but basically, I met them when we still had the M-base. I might not be able to smell them as a human but as Caesar… My armor helped me remember and break the spell preventing their identities from being discovered." He chuckled. "Besides, like none of you disliked the chance to scare them."

Further talk was stopped as the Riders drew close to the front of the airship, which had entered a large dome-shaped chamber in which the center contained a spiked platform held aloft by bolts of black lightning, the same that had strengthened the group of fairies and added power to their magic.

A burst of energy, as though the airship had struck an invisible field, knocked it up and over onto its back. The Outer Senshi backflipped through the air and on the ground to keep their footing while the Inner Scouts were held in the arms of their significant Rider save for Sailor Moon who rolled along the ground before landing on her back in a heap. Peruru and Caesar landed beside her, who offered a silent apology to the girl though he rolled his eyes at her apparent lack of martial arts ability.

"This is sacred ground!" Lady Badiyanu appeared in a bright flash of lightning in all her gigantic glory. "Of course you can't enter!"

"Holy smokes…" Anguirus' eyes were wide behind his helmet. "It's the Fifty Foot Woman!"

"Oh shut up, it is not." Rodan muttered though he too was slightly worried. She did resemble the famous giantess of their old world… '_No way, that's just coincidence…_' It also didn't help that the black lightning run up and along the giantess' body with no ill effects, which had been quite the opposite according to the history books on their old world.

"What did you do to Mini-Moon and all the kids?" asked Sailor Venus.

"The children are right there!" The illusion on the throne room slowly faded and, upon looking down, the group of heroes gasped in horror. Coffins upon coffins, filled with sleeping children, made up the floor, the walls, even the tunnel they had entered from. The Inner Scouts were horrorfied, the Outer appearing emotionless but were no different, and the Kamen Riders…

Were furious.

Peruru ran forward, just as mad, if not more so, than the Kamen Riders, stopping before Badiyanu. "Stop all of this, you witch from another world!" He charged forward as though to attack the giant witch, but was thrown through the air with but a faint glimmer of her eyes. Gamera caught him easily before he could hit the floor.

"Foolish little Peruru." Lady Badiyanu was smiling, her vampiric fangs gleaming in the light of her powers. "I was about to make your wish reality and make a beautiful sweet world…"

Peruru jumped down from Gamera's arms, glaring up at Badiyanu. "Nobody will be happy in the world YOU make!" He looked down, ashamed of his past actions but knowing he had to make them right. "I want to protect the place where kids can grow up next to their family and friends!"

"It was this girl who taught you such silly things, yes?" Badiyanu held up her right hand, the one free of her large staff, and flexed her clawed fingers. Mini-Moon appeared in the palm of her hand, surrounded by a ball of black lightning. She looked around confused until she heard her titles being called from below. The Kamen Riders and Sailor Scouts were there before her on the ground far below, with more members than Mini-Moon recalled but hey, the more the merrier… The one person she cared about most was there and that was all that really mattered to the girl.

"Sailor Moon!" The two exchanged a conversation that could not be translated into words, exchanging emotions as their hopes began to shine. Mini-Moon abruptly ruined the moment by crossing her arms and speaking rather snidely. "You're late."

"Oh shush." Sailor Moon muttered, smiling still.

The dome above them opened up like a blooming flower, revealing dark storm clouds that were circling tightly above them. For the first time, the heroes could really see where they stood on Marzipannu Castle. Dead center at the top of the tallest tower with the clouds vanishing away to reveal a pulsing orb of darkness.

"That's…" Sailor Jupiter whispered.

"The Black Dream Hole…" murmured Sailor Pluto.

The Kamen Riders stood stiffly, feeling as though a bucket of near frozen water had been poured through their bodies. Those that fell under the spell of Pupuran's flute began to feel those feelings anew while Caesar was feeling them for the first time. He was alone, the last of his pack who all laid dead around him because he hadn't taught them enough, hadn't made them strong enough to survive. They were dead and it was all his fault!

"Yes!" Badiyanu smiled, a touch of hunger upon her face as the black lightning refocused upon the energies of the dreaming children, taking it up to the Black Dream Hole, which slowly swelled in size with each gulp of dream energy. "It's regaining its strength by eating the dream energy of all the children here… and…" She gripped Mini-Moon tightly in her hand, jolting her with dark energy.

Even through the haze of fear and despair, Gojira could see what was happening before him to scream, "Stop!" while Sailor Moon herself screamed the name of her protégé.

Smiling in triumph, Badiyanu lifted Mini-Moon high, close to the orb of darkness hovering above them in the sky. The Black Dream Hole sent a bolt of pure darkness upon the pink-haired Sailor Scout, causing more agony that what she had experienced by having her Dream Mirror exposed to the world. That agony was quick and done with just as fast, but this didn't stop. It continued well until Sailor Mini-Moon's locket had gone past its limits, forcing her in a blend of being plain Rini and Mini-Moon in order to keep her alive and conserve its strength at the same time.

Sailor Moon charged forward, Peruru at her side, and, together, the two leapt up to try and attack the gigantic witch but were thrown back by the lightning surrounding her. Gamera bent down, gripping his head in agony with one arm, the other hanging useless at his side. "_Flaming Barrage!_" Glowing orbs of plasmic fire shot forth.

Gojira waved his arm, firing burst after burst of "_Atomic Fire!_" from his cannon but the wildly delivered attacks were just as effective as Gamera's assault, which is to say not at all.

Sailor Mercury had her visor on and her computer scanning in seconds and had gotten the answer just as quickly. It wasn't the lightning… "There's a barrier surrounding her!"

"Just as I thought!" Badiyanu was practically grinning in ecstacy. "This girl has the best energy to nurture my Black Dream Hole!"

The very orb was growing exponentially larger, swelling faster and faster until it was well above the size of the castle and with each spurt of growth it experienced, the further the Kamen Riders were driven to the point of having their very souls sucked up alongside the dream energies of the children. They were a different people from a different world with entirely separate rules and were not affected in the same manner as those of this world. Yes, it was this disgusting orb of deliciously dark energy that was the cause of their decay in the m-base, this darkness used to a far lesser degree by the Dead Moon Circus.

Alarm systems were blaring out of control inside their helmets, systems and hardware going absolutely haywire as the armors of the Riders tried to keep them alive. Even those long since dead, could not help but scream in agony from the pain, their own souls struggling against the chains that held them to the K-Zectors.

Through all this, the Riders kept on their feet. They had fallen to agony only once before and that one time was one time too many for all of them.

The music of a flute playing drew Badiyanu's attention down to the rising airship which housed Sailor Moon and Peruru. The young fairy placed the flute away and turned to Sailor Moon. "The energy from our hearts that think of Rini will move this ship. So…"

"I got it! Let's go!"

The two pushed themselves against the front of the ship, willing it to move forward with all the strength of their feelings for one little girl. The ship moved easily to their commands but was met with resistance via Badiyanu's invisible energy field.

"As if YOUR ship could break through this barrier!" Badiyanu scoffed.

"Everyone…" Gojira grunted, struggling to focus but his eyes and ears were failing him. All he knew was that someone was trying to break through the barrier and that was all he needed to know to issue his order. "Strike at the barrier! Help them break through!"

The Scouts didn't need to be told twice and were calling out the names of their attacks when Badiyanu took immediate notice of them and sent forth a storm of lightning down upon them. With her attention elsewhere, Peruru's airship managed to gain some ground into the barrier but with a raise of her staff, Badiyanu increased the power, seemingly destroying the ship as its body fell to the ground in pieces.

Badiyanu started to laugh but gasped in shock when the head of the ship, that ridiculously shaped clownface, raised itself up, still baring its captain and passenger.

"I want Rini back!" screamed Sailor Moon, glaring angrily at the dark witch, not at all afraid of her much larger stature now that they were at an equal height.

"My Black Dream Hole hungers for this girl's dream energy." Badiyanu smiled down at the girl in her hand before looking back at the two, screaming. "I will not let her go!" She raised her staff to strike them out of the air but the head-of-the-ship managed to move just enough to let the blow only mark its side. Badiyanu scoffed and decided that it was now time.

She flew upwards towards the Black Dream Hole with Peruru and Sailor Moon giving chase. Being much smaller, and far lighter, what remained of Peruru's ship was able to caught Badiyanu off with a quick burst of speed.

"Give her back!" demanded Sailor Moon, earning more ire from the dark witch who was now beginning to see why the girl in her hand had such faith in her.

"Out of the way!" Badiyanu raised her staff and sent a blast of lightning at them but the strength of their conviction only allowed for useless portions of their broken aircraft to be burned away. However, it was slowly being pushed back, closer and closer to the vacuum of the Black Dream Hole.

"If you get any closer…" screamed Peruru over the sound of Badiyanu's attack. "… you'll be suck in, too!"

"Idiot fairy." Badiyanu kept up the attack, burning more portions of the airship away. "That Black Dream Hole is my other self!" The two exclaimed in shock while Badiyanu continued, "I will use this girl's dream energy and swallow this planet and at last be free of this eternal hunger!"

"I won't let you!" yelled Peruru.

In her hand, Rini slowly awoke, the ribbons that were a part of her transformation hanging limply around her. She looked skyward and saw the two that were attempting so valiantly to save her. "Peruru! Sailor Moon!"

Even in the roar of the lightning and the black energy above them, the two could hear her. "Rini!"

Badiyanu held her up to her face and, smirking, shocked her into unconsciousness once more, allowing a spike of her dream energy to shoot up into her other self. Instead of growing larger, the gravity and energy of the Black Dream Hole grew stronger, pulling up one of the petal shaped portions of the dome as well as keeping the Scouts and Riders from interfering with her other side. The dome piece flew past Badiyanu, who laughed as it knocked the remains of the airship out of the way.

She shot skyward as Sailor Moon screamed, "Rini!"

It was already too late.

Badiyanu and Rini had both disappeared into the Black Dream Hole, whose powers grew stronger as her other half drew close to unification once more. Down below, the Scouts screamed in agony as their uniforms vanished completely, their magical energies warping tightly upon their skin, making them the very color of their elements.

"The transformation…" gasped Ami.

"It's going away…" Little did Lita or the others realize, that though they were in pain, they were far luckier than what the Kamen Riders were experiencing at that very moment.

The were still on their knees, gripping their heads in agony as they screamed their pain to the heavens. The hologram emitters decorating their armor activated without their commands but did not allow small portions of the daikaiju through. Instead, their entire forms, though on a smaller scale, stood behind their jailors, their hosts, matching them in their movements perfectly.

Shiisa was clawing at the ground like he was trying to dig a grave to bury himself in, King Caesar being the only one to do any actually digging and even then the magic holding the castle in one piece healed the damage. Shiro was screaming, clutching his right shoulder as he felt if his very blood was on fire and for the turtle-like Gamera, this wasn't far from the truth as flames licked out from between his clenched tusks. Takuya had his arms spread wide, his chest jutting outwards as though he was invisibly being crucified and Rodan mimicked him with his wings spread wider than what human arms could do, the leatherlike sails spreading tightly. Morisato was banging his fists against the ground with Anguirus doing the same with his clublike tail adding to the tremors. Only Eiji was on his feet and he was barely doing so of his conscious mind. He stood with his fists clenched tightly on each side of his head, shaking it back and forth as the memories and nightmares assaulted him while his very soul struggled to escape up into the Black Dream Hole. Towering above him, Godzilla stood, roaring in agony with leaf-like dorsal spines flashing with energy.

These ghosts of the past, these titans of old, had never experienced such pain and though they would gladly be free of the imprisonment that held them, they knew that their continued existence mattered entirely upon them staying with the little insects, the creatures that had chained them to their will, for letting go would mean certain death. And so they stayed despite the growing torture as the Black Dream Hole slowly began to swell in size.

Unlike before, there were no quick bursts but a slow and steady growth. Why was this? Some could assume that Badiyanu had become one with the Black Dream Hole and had stabilized its intake of dream energy but they would be wrong for just moments ago, Sailor Moon had concocted a dangerously foolish plan after having seen and eaten one of Rini's cookies. They were guaranteed to give one hundred fold courage and one hundred fold power and so it was with this added strength that Sailor Moon had leapt upwards and allowed the Black Dream Hole to swallow her as well.

It was forever since anything had occurred aside from the Black Dream Hole's increasing strength but in reality it was only a few minutes later when beams of pure white light burst through the bottom of the dark energy sphere, stabilizing the magic of the Sailor Scouts and granting to the Kamen Riders, immunity from its evil powers.

The two groups stood slowly to their feet, one a bit slower than the other, and looked to each other in confusion. They looked none the worse for wear though their was a tiredness in the way the Kamen Riders stood before the Sailor Scouts. Little did they know that they were not the only ones blessed by the light of the Silver Imperium Crystal.

A bell had rung and a fairy, or two, had earned in its wings.

It was longer still before they, Scouts and Riders, heard the voice of the foolish girl who had leapt up into the blackness of Badiyanu's true self. "Please, everyone… lend me your powers!"

The Kamen Riders looked to each other, confused, while the Scouts did the same but with knowledge on their side. One by one, they invoked the name of their leader, their friend, their princess, as their tiaras vanished, allowing the symbol of their planet to shine brightly upon their foreheads. The colored lights moved upwards, absorbed into the Black Dream Hole and absorbed not by it, but the one who had invoked the energies in the first place.

It was great hope in their hearts that the group below heard not one, but two voices speak out the name of an all too familiar attack. "_Moon Gorgeous… Meditation!_"

The Black Dream Hole grew still before, suddenly, the Moon Duo burst out from its side, shining with the power of their newly jointed attack against its dark and flaming core. Peruru, still astride what remained of his airship, gasped, visibly in tears at the impossible. "Sailor Moon…" He started to cry with relief. "She did it… she broke out of the Black Dream Hole!"

She was alive, his dearest friend was alive.

"NO! I—" Badiyanu's voice shrieked mightily from the wiggling mass of the Black Dream Hole as she struggled to keep herself alive. "I won't die! Not without devouring you all!" The Black Dream Hole, collapsing upon itself, shot downwards towards the group and there was truly nothing that the Moon Duo could do, their power spent in the killing blow.

--

He had finally had it.

He was sick of the pain, of the agony, of being so weak that he had to look to those he swore to protect for his own protection. It was infuriating but more than that, it was dishonorable. How could he call himself a soldier, a proctector of innocents when he, himself, was no better, no stronger, than those mere people who knew nothing of pain, of death, of the loss of friends, family, an entire world?

More than that, he knew in the instant he heard her voice that Sailor Moon had used It.

The Silver Imperium Crystal.

It wasn't so much that It took a portion of her life, a portion of his beloved's life, though these facts alone were quite rage-inspiring. No, it was that the Crystal had helped them, had aided them, despite their hatred for It and what It stirred in their memories. Even here in this new world he could not escape from his past without being shoved facefirst into it.

Well, he had enough of that!

He was exhausted.

He was mad as hell.

He wouldn't, nay he couldn't let it stand anymore.

She wanted to kill them? To eat them like the predator to the prey?

Well…

LET HER TRY!

--

Gojira's K-Zector trembled violently on his wrist, twisting to the left and right, not really turning itself, before suddenly snapping itself down tightly upon the Black Rider's wrist. He roared like the very monster whose power he used as beams of crimson light burst out from his torso. This… this was the power as before but… no, it was the same but without the price. He had been given a gift.

No.

He had been given an opportunity!

The G-Force Cannon vibrating on his arm, Gojira raised his limb upwards, pointing the glowing barrel up towards the descending Black Dream Hole. "_Spiral…_" Crimson flames swirled around the barrel's head. "_Atomic…_" the beams fell back upon him, moving from his torso and up into the G-Force Cannon. "_INFERNO!_"

A spiral beam of atomic fire mixed with an unknown power burst forth from the weapon, nearly breaking it loose from Gojira's arm, before it impacted against the Black Dream Hole. It halted instantly before slowly, then quickly, being pushed up into the sky as it collapsed upon itself, shrieking with Badiyanu's voice as Gojira's attack burned with the flames that could be no better fit in the deepest pits of Hell.

With a muffled explosion, the Black Dream Hole was no more.

--

The Kamen Riders and Sailor Scouts stood together on the beach below where Marzipannu Castle slowly faded away in the sky, the last of the children aboard the airships of the Three o'clock Fairies. It had taken some effort but Peruru and Pupuran had managed to play a spell that brought the children back home to their families. It wasn't truly that hard for them now what with the Silver Imperium Crystal not only breaking Pupuran free of the black magic of Lady Badiyanu but bestowing upon them both full fairy status with rainbow colored wings upon their backs.

Peruru turned to Mini-Moon who stood close to his side and held his flute out to her with a warm smile on his face. Mini-Moon blinked in surprise and looked down at the glass flute in confusion. "I want you to have this," said Peruru.

"You're going away?" Mini-Moon was called many things, most especially by Sailor Moon, but she was never once called a fool for missing the obvious.

Peruru shook his head. "I'm a fairy that protects the sweet, beautiful dreams that grow inside the hearts of children. I'll always be by your side."

It was true for both he and his kin were escapees from the fields of Elysion; who had both fled upon the arrival and subsequent takeover of the Dead Moon Circus. However, coming here had robbed them of their memories and most of their abilities and Badiyanu, having followed in the wake of the Dead Moon, had taken the opportunity to take the fairies under her control, not that she needed so much with Oranja and Pamamu who were both nightmare faires.

Sailor Mini-Moon smiled and took the flute gently in her hands and, sidly over, stood on the tips of her toes to kiss Peruru's cheek. The boy blushed brightly, hovering up into the air above her and touching the cheek she had kissed. It felt far warmer than normal but it was not unpleasant. A sharp whistle brought Peruru's attention to his brother who, despite the smile on his face at his younger sibling's anticts, was getting quite impatient and was already starting to fly back towards Elysion without him!

"Thank you for the cookies!" Peruru said, starting towards his brother. "And give Diana my regards." He flew off after his brother as Mini-Moon waved goodbye.

"Bye-bye, Peruru… I'll see you again!" Sailor Moon smiled and placed a gentle hand on her future daughter's shoulder and joined her in watching the two fairies disappear into the light of the sun, back to their true world.

Above them stood the Scouts to one side and the Riders on the other.

"Well, what do you think, Aniki?" whispered Anguirus.

"Yeah, Commander. I can't believe I'm sayin' this, but I could use a break after all this shit…" muttered Rodan.

"I concur…" Gamera nodded, rolling his shoulder.

"I suppose I am getting too old for this," chuckled Caesar.

Gojira was silent for a long moment. "No. this isn't the end, There never will be. We have too many things left unfinished and unsaid between us and the Sailor Scouts. But… for now… I can agree.

"That for now, this is the end of our story."

* * *

The SuperS Arc may be over…

_Helios flying back towards Elysion; Badiyanu's Black Dream Hole collapsing upon itself_

The threat may be at an end…

_A chained mirror within a mirror…_

However…

_Mad, demonic laughter in the darkness._

A new threat shall come to pass.

_Gleaming eyes of blood._

The Kamen Riders

_"We finish this here, now, or not at all! United we stand, divided we fall!"_

The Sailor Scouts

_"One shall stand and one shall fall, pray that those we left are those standing."_

Must band together… to face their toughest foes yet…

_Several shadowed forms rising to challenge them._

Mutants

_"It's been a long time, hasn't it Lover?"_

Invaders

_"This future now belongs to us."_

Old Friends

_"You're father isn't here to protect you anymore, little grass-cutter."_

And their toughest opponent yet.

_"Death is only the beginning."_

The Daikaiju Era

Premiering Summer-Fall 2008


	24. What Came Before

Me: It's finally arrived!

Bahamut: The new arc?

Me: What? No, the filler arc!

Mewtwo: Filler?

Me: Yeah, there are some questions left to be answered!

Bahamut: Such as?

Me: How Shiisa regained his Kaiju-Spirit, how he seems to know the Outer Senshi... and there is of course...

Bahamut & Mewtwo: There is?

Me: "It".

Poupoko: ("It"?)

Me: "It". The one who followed in the wake of Diana and Shiro back in chapter ten.

Mewtwo: Ah yes... Wait, you mean, you're finnaly going to reveal "It"?

Me: Yep. Next chapter.

Bahamut: Damn it, I knew there was a catch!

* * *

**A/N: This chapter might confuse a lot of people. Why? Because I'm taking into account that people have read the previous chapters and I don't think that we need to see everything in the eyes of Shiisa Miyrabi, so if you're skipping to here, well, prepare to be confused.**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

What Came Before

He was bored.

How bored you ask?

BORED.

Who would have thought that a grown man, albeit still in his mid-twenties, could become so bored so easily? Certainly not Shiisa Miyrabi who was even at this very moment, hoping to find a means to alleviate his boredom as he walked down the streets of Juuban towards the local middle school for a meeting with his charges' guidance councilor. All considering, he should have been more concerned over having to meet with said councilor in the first week of his charges' attending Juuban Middle School but he had suspected an earlier reaction truly.

They had been in this world for several weeks and, thanks to more than a fair share of illegal hacking and Robin Hood-style thievery, they had a house, enough money to last them for half-a-decade at least, and enough hbackground information to keep the nosiest of people happy with their 'normality'.

Feh, what a word best not used to describe them.

The first few days had been spent in hiding, grieving over the loss of two good soldiers and the loss of one of the greatest clans in all of Japan. Issun and Ushiwaka Urashima were young, younger still when their sister died taking Tokyo back from the Crystals, but they were Riders and their deaths were treated as such. Once Shiisa and Midoriko had safely removed the K-Zectors from their bodies, the Urashima brothers were burned where they had fallen.

Then, there was Shiro Saito, whose body was never found and his K-Zector never recovered. They had hoped to have found him alive, wondering the streets, but whatever force had pushed them to this world kept him away and so they had assumed that he too had fallen.

Eiji never quite got over Shiro's "demise" even after the older boy had been returned to them.

That week had been spent learning as much as they could as quickly as they could while staying out of sight, which admittedly was hard as they were dressed for war, not a sudden peace thrust upon them. Seeing how such peace was in a grand abundance, the Riders had assumed that Midoriko's teleportation spell had been given a huge supercharge and they had somehow been transported back into the past, before the Crystal Incursion.

They knew otherwise even before they found out the truth. Even if they had arrived before the Incursion, there would have been evidence of something far more worse.

The Daikaiju.

This new world had monsters, if the old news reports weren't tabloid rejects, but these were like comparing a mouse to a tiger; you had an irrational fear of one but a deadly guarantee with the other. The technology alone was so below what it should have been if the daikaiju had existed.

In the first month, they had adapted to this world, making their identities as civilians known as well as finacing themselves. He and Midoriko had argued with their charges over what it was that they should do in this world. Shiisa himself had all been for them continuing in the duties of being a Kamen Rider and even aiding the local group, the aptly named Sailor Scouts, should they actually need or deserve it. Midoriko on the other hand…

Shiisa couldn't really blame her for wanting to maintain some semblance of normalcy and giving up her role as Kamen Rider Mosura. So much had happened to them, so many people lost, that the two younglings had been the final straw for her and in her brother's name, she had sworn to never again assume the guise of Mosura.

She had even wanted them to swear the same but they had refused, in Takuya's case quite vocally, to that idea. Even Shiisa, who could no longer transform in a Kamen Rider, had voted no. They had the potential to help people, why couldn't they? They had read the reports, and had seen for themselves, thanks in no smarl part to Midoriko's weakening magic.

That in itself was another thing. When they noticed the decline of their powers, they had assumed it had more to do with the world itself but whenever they left the limits of Juuban their powers returned instantly. So, with the knowledge of losing their M-base and having no true excuse not to do so, the trio of younglins had been forced to endure something far worse than Shiisa's special training known as 'The Gauntlet'.

High School.

Now, they had been there for a total of three days and, apparently, that had been more than enough to get them all in a reasonable amount of trouble. Takuya was more than expected really, the boy had a temper that was made worse by any of the following; being near a female, sharing space with a female, looking at a female… the list went on. Morisato was a bit of a surprise but not truly so. Shiisa knew how the scarred boy liked to tinker with machinery and had probably done something he shouldn't have with the school's computers.

It was Eiji that truly concerned Shiisa.

True, Shiisa acted as a godfather would to the boys, but he was only truly Eiji's legal godfather and was a close friend with his father. He and Midoriko were among the few that worked with the elder Kusanagi in the creation of the Kamen Riders. Of all the students that he had trained in his style of martial arts, Shiisa was closest to Eiji and saw him as the little brother he never wanted but was pretty damn glad to have.

That wouldn't mean that Eiji would be spared a round or two of the Gauntlet if whatever he had done at the school had deserved it.

Arriving and following the directions of the office secretary, and ignoring the look, Shiisa found himself standing before the door of the newly instated school councilor, one apparently named Setsuna Meioh. '_Momentary King of Darkness… Hrmm… chance?_' Shiisa didn't believe in chance. Look at Eiji, look at Midoriko, hell, look at himself. Their names had been chosen long ago but their destinies had been chosen far before they were born.

Destiny was as worthless as fate to Shiisa.

He knocked and entered at the polite-spoken welcome and immediately found himself staring in surprise at the woman across from him. He saw now how appropriate her name was what with her dark-tanned skin and midnight hair that, with the light, had a dark forest green sheen to it. Her eyes were what held him though. As a martial artist, Shiisa prided himself in his ability to read people with a single glance to their eyes but her eyes were not people's eyes.

They were the eyes of someone who had seen far too much in her life.

Those were eyes that had seen friends and family alike live and die as innocents while the darkness survived and continued to thrive upon death and destruction. These were eyes of one who tried and failed but continued to go on not because she wanted to, but because she needed to go on, to protect those that still remained to be protected. That pair of garnet orbs were eyes that saw the worst and best that humanity had to offer and yet remained steadfast in the belief that good could still triumph over the evils that threatened their world.

They were the eyes of a soldier.

What was she to have such eyes? A warrior? Nay, she carried the posture correctly but what was a warrior of such calibur doing here? A retired soldier? Far too young and in a country without an army of its own? Where women were still considered the weaker sex by most, impossible.

Yet here she was.

"So," said Shiisa. "What have my idiot pups done?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Why would you immediately assume the worst?"

"Three reasons. First, you're new here if what the secretary said is true, you have better things to do than to talk with a guardian of your school's three newest transfers. Second, your try and hide the fact but I can see that something is bothering you. Perhaps it's my students or perhaps it's a problem of your own. Don't know you well enough yet to tell your heart from your mask, Meioh-san."

"… And third?" She questioned, leaning slightly forward.

"I know my students quite well and all of them can be quite idiotic given the chance. What have they done?"

"It's not much of a problem with two of your charges." Setsuna pulled out a trio of files and opened two of them. "Kusanagi and Akichi are doing quite well though Akichi's attentions towards our most intelligent student have brought some ire to the rest of the faculty."

"Oh?"

Setsuna smiled slightly. "It seems that Akichi has a habit of making Miss Mizuno quite flustered with a few choice words." He saw it though she was unaware of it. He had seen the way her eyes had begun to shine. She knew this girl, perhaps was close to her in some form, and was glad of the boy's attentions. Shiisa sighed and shook his head. Really he couldn't blame Morisato it was his nature to be flirtatious, but one would think the boy would have learned from his past mistakes… Then again, it was one girl… and if this was the so-called "Water Sprite", maybe Morisato really was changing for the better.

Her eyes lost that sparkle of light, returning once more to the mask of a soldier. "It is because of Yashima that I've asked you to meet with me."

Shiisa suppressed a groan. "What has he done?"

"He has, or rather had, become a, ahem, girl magnet upon his first day. During the lunch period he had been approached by many of the girls here to eat with them. For the first two days, he had chosen to avoid them. Yesterday though…" She pulled out a sheet of paper. "I believe these were some of the phrases he used to describe the girls chasing him, right to their faces."

Shiisa took the paper and read it over. He looked up at her. "This is it?"

Setsuna blinked in surprise. She really hadn't expected him to be so blunt, uncaring. "Miyrabi-san, I don't think you quite understand what Yashima did."

"Oh believe me I do." Shiisa chuckled, waving the paper at her. "And believe me this is the least of what he would have said. If he wanted to, he could make the girls here run crying for their parents."

'_Some of them nearly did…_' Setsuna thought sourly. Really, how could someone condone such an obvious sexist attitude?

"Takuya has had some… bad experiences in the past." Shiisa explained. "Experiences that are too personal to explain to you as of now."

"Then tell me, when will you be able to tell me?"

"Tomorrow night, possibly over dinner? My treat, of course."

Setsuna had to admit that while attempts had been made to ask her out on a date, she had never been asked at such a seemingly random moment such as this. "I'm sorry, but I'm already involved with someone."

Shiisa looked at her for a long moment before smiling and rising to his feet and heading towards the door. "I'll talk with Takuya about his attitude problems. Just some friendly advice, you might want to consider buying some jewelry for yourself." He turned and was glad to see her confusion. "No man in their right mind would allow such a wingless angel as yourself to go without a gift or two to show his devotion to you. Until next we meet, Meioh-san."

He closed the door, not missing the sudden shift in her scent and the faint squeal of a chair sudden being pushed off balance.

Who said he didn't listen to Morisato's drabble?

--

And meet again they did. So often in fact that Setsuna had begun to grow concerned that she had somehow gained a stalker on her hands. Were it not for Shiisa's growing surprise with every chance encounter, she truly would have thought this to be true. The first few times had been random enough to be placed off as pure chance on both their parts. After all, how uncommon was it to meet at a grocery mart or the local market place? No, it was when he started to appear in most of her haunts that Setsuna had grown concerned enough that she had to trick Haruka into coming with her on one of her trips to the local tea café.

He had been there before she even showed up and had made polite conversation with Haruka and even went as far as to ask how it was that she ended up the man in her relationship. Haruka had almost lost her temper before Shiisa explained that he had seen her a few times on the streets with another girl and sometimes even a pair of younger children. Setsuna still remembered that smile he had when he said it was nice to see somehow so unafraid of who they were that they did what they wanted without any regrets.

It had taken a few more encounters for Setsuna to finally crack and talk it over with Haruka and Michiru, going so far as to ask whether or not she was wrong in assuming the worst in a man that, for all intents and purposes, seemed quite nice but kept popping up in places she frequented.

It was actually someone else entirely that had gotten Setsuna to truly realize what was occurring.

"Maybe it's not that he's going to places you like to go to… maybe it's that you're going to places he likes to go to…"

That… was something she never considered.

Setsuna had thought back to all the times she had encountered Shiisa Miyrabi and had realized that he was as timely as herself. She'd arrive at her favorite tea café around five, while Shiisa came around four, both leaving around six, sometimes seven if their conversations together were too good to truly cut to the quick.

That in itself was another thing Setsuna had grudgingly realized. She liked talking to Shiisa. Though he looked and acted otherwise, he was smarter than she first thought him to be. He knew and understood equations that she was only beginning to grasp during her summer college courses. His knowledge in science, specifically engineering was astounding and oftentimes Setsuna would find herself actively looking out for the man in hopes of further discussion on such topics.

It had been a little over a month after their first meeting, and two weeks after her realization, that a conversation had occurred that would forever change Setsuna Meioh.

--

"I like you."

Setsuna didn't react to those words other than to slowly set her cup of green tea back down upon the table, not actually having drunk from it.

Shiisa wasn't looking at her but out the window and down at the bustling streets of Juuban. His powers had grown weaker, why he didn't know. She knew why though she didn't know it connected to him or his 'family' in any way. Nehelenia would soon break free from the spell Queen Serenity had cast upon her and, later, the Black Dream Hole, a whispered nightmare amongst the people of the Silver Millennium, would at last come to Earth.

"I don't really know just why but I feel that, if you can give me the chance, I could find myself loving you." Shiisa looked at her then, ruby and garnet eyes connecting. "Not that the possibility is so hard now."

"Shiisa, you know that I—"

"Yes, you have other priorities than to be allowed to have the luxury of the relationship." Shiisa rolled his eyes. "As do I, Setsuna." When had he become familiar enough to call her by her first name? When did she for him? "More than I started out with actually." Somehow, the group of girls had joined his pack, all but two as potential mates for his pups.

Setsuna tried a different approach. "Shiisa, you don't really even know me that well. How can you say that—"

"You enjoy tea, particularly green tea though you occasionally partake in some of the European blends, your despise eggplants with a passion rivaled only by your disgust with cockroaches. You enjoy shopping, mostly for clothes, and it reflects in your hobbies which include but aren't limited to sewing and clothes designing." He took a sip from his glass of tea. "What more there is to know about, I cannot wait any longer to discover Setsuna. Yes or no, that's all I ask."

Setsuna was surprised at how much he knew but then, had not spent these last two weeks getting to know each other better than they had been? He had professed to being a martial arts master and Setsuna knew that he had the skills to notice the little things she tried to sneak past his inquisitive nature. "Why?"

"The perfect question." Shiisa sighed. She smiled. He really did listen.

"Hmm…" It wasn't a matter of would she, but rather could she. She who was the master of time, guardian to the Gateway of Time and holder of one of the three Talismans. A member of the elite guard of Outer Senshi, the Sailor Scouts who guarded the outer rim of this solar systems from invaders. She was more than what Shiisa knew and sooner or later, he would have to be told the truth.

But could she truly allow herself to remain attached to him, if he truly accepted who she was, what she could and would do for a future not set in stone? Not that those chances were high and Setsuna did not feel any desire to see the different possibilities. She had a duty to the future, her queen, her friends… but didn't Queen Serenity once say that she had a duty to herself as well…? Would it be so wrong to at least indulge in some semblance of normalcy, to be a woman in love?

She felt a bucket of ice flow down her back.

Love.

That was the most dangerous of all emotions, one that Setsuna had rarely felt in such a manner. Oh yes, she loved her friends and saw Small Lady as the younger sister she never had but this? This was an entirely different love that could make or break her at the slightest whim. It was a kind of love that couldn't be predicted, a constant state of change that altered ever image she could see in the Time Gates.

Still the question remained.

Could she?

"Yes." She could.

--

He had no other choice in sending Midoriko out to stop him, despite it breaking her vow. She not only had the power, something he was sorely lacking, but she had the drive to do what needed to be done if only to give Eiji some peace even if it meant in death.

It was when she had left that he thought of her.

Shiisa didn't know if this would work, he well and truly didn't but that Time when it had befallen on Raijin, when nothing else could stop him and looked to be another reign of the Monster King, it was she and she alone who had grabbed Raijin from the madness of the kaiju, brought him back to them, and gave him a reason to stay in control. One as of yet unborn reason with another following two years later if one were to be specific.

Shiisa sincerely hoped that Lita meant as much to Eiji as Miki did to his Raijin.

He had told her everything, refusing to be kind and keep the harsh truths hidden in the shadows. She needed to know everything that Eiji wouldn't say and do this as though it was the last true chance Eiji had to coming back to them through all of this in one piece.

Eiji was his student, his brother, but more than that, he was Alpha to their pack, their family. Eiji was the one who decided what calls to make, looking to him and Midoriko for advice should he ever need it. That was all either of them could offer but now, they had more to be done.

They had to bring their godson back to the light.

--

"Well, this is a surprise…" Setsuna mused as Shiisa sat down opposite of her at what had become their table these some odd months. "You've never been late before."

Shiisa couldn't help but smile at that. "Keeping track, princess?"

Setsuna hid her blush behind another sip of her tea. Really, did he have to call her such things? Not that she ever told him to stop but really… "Did something happen?"

"You could say that…" Shiisa sighed. "A lot of things really, things I'm afraid I can't tell you. Until then."

"Until then." Setsuna agreed. Neither of them knew how it got started, the secrets both kept from the other, only that they shared one indisputable fact between them. Until there were no more barriers, no more holding back, they'd keep their secrets.

Until then.

--

It was a few days later that Shiisa realized something was very wrong.

"Setsuna…" His eyes were looking past her, towards the outside, she noted instantly. "What time is it?"

"One-sixteen. Why?"

"Turnaround." Confused, she did and felt her heart drop down to her stomach.

What was once a bright and sunny morning was turning slowly, ever so slowly, dark as the sun began to be hidden away not by clouds but by minute strands of silk. Spider's silk.

It had begun.

"Where are your roommates?" Shiisa asked, his eyes never leaving the window.

"At home, watching the kids." Her eyes mirrored his and she really didn't think about the question, she just answered.

"Good." Shiisa rose to his feet and grabbed her by the arm, forcing her to her feet. "Come on, I'm taking you home right now."

"What—I—Shiisa!" Setsuna was too flustered to speak. Too many arguments were being fought over in her head. She wanted to help the Sailor Scouts, but would her help be needed, or even wanted? The girls had the Riders to protect them but still… there was the children… If the Dead Moon managed to find them…

"No." He looked her straight in the eyes, ruby meeting garnet in a conversation silent as a grave yet speaking volumes of a concert hall. He was like a wolf, she knew this near the beginning of their strange relationship. He'd get defensive of her if a man came on too strong but let her defend her interests first before he'd step in. He'd provide for her, buying her a dress she'd often stared at a bit too long during one of their walks. He'd do things his way but never expected her to do the same, only to respect what he believed was the right thing to do as much as he did the same for her.

Now, here he was, standing beside her virtually glowing with that lupine beast, asking her, begging her, to let him protect her, just this one time, from the shadows instead of letting her walk alone against them as she had been. She would have argued, she truly would have, but these eyes were eyes she wasn't used to seeing on Shiisa, though she was used to the darkness being not only the Senshi of Time but the princess of a dead world like Pluto.

The eyes were eyes of a fate worse than her own, one that was just as inexcapeable but filled with nothing but evergrowing despair. She had friends, she had family, people that mattered to her that were here with her in the living world so then, just how many were there resting in the Here-After, waiting for Shiisa? Setsuna didn't know and she didn't ask, knowing it was not a question that could be answered.

But what she did know was that these eyes promised that they would not lose another person, not someone as close to the heart as she apparently was to him. It frightened her, how much she meant to him, how much it would eventually break him when he learned the truth but another, often unheard part of her was practically screaming joy at the fact that, finally, there was someone that loved her as much as he could love.

It was this voice that gave her reason to allow Shiisa to escort her home, quickly as the darkness was growing, but the doubt still remained in control and Setsuna didn't know how Shiisa would take it when he learned the truth of herself and her friends. However, she did know one firm and undeniable fact.

Until then, was just a few days away.

--

(_"Hachiko-kun…"_)

He blinked tiredly, groaning as he turned over in his half-asleep state and ignored the familiarity that came from his old nickname. Something he hadn't heard since—

Shiisa shot awake instantly, jumping to his feet with all his senses on the alert, dulled as they were he would need them nonetheless for whoever knew to call him that. He hoped, he prayed but he knew it couldn't be Raijin and any other man that knew him by this name was a man that Shiisa knew he had no desire to meet. With his complete awareness, Shiisa finally noticed he wasn't in his room or even in Juuban. He was in a forest glade with said forest towering behind him like a living fence, guarding whatever lay beyond it from sight.

Then, there was the man.

Dressed like royalty in a translucency that beguiled the idea of him being a ghost, the man stood a few yards away from Shiisa, his posture speaking of his status over him yet in no way challenging. Shiisa slowly relaxed out of his combat stance. Few knew of how to project their intents through pose alone yet this man before Shiisa knew it as easily as a…

'_A Kamen Rider…?_'

The man smiled and shook his head. (_"Not so, I'm afraid…"_)

Shiisa tensed. A mindreader! The man was a telepath!

(_"Relax, Hachiko-kun… I am not here as your enemy… but as your friend…"_) The man spoke as though talking from a great distance, his sentences abrupt with pauses inbetween.

"Then tell me, where am I?" Shiisa asked, keeping his stance and voice neutral. The man hadn't done anything as to warrant his suspicion so Shiisa felt it better to give him the benefit of the doubt.

For now.

(_"A place… you should remember… but you don't; it's not yet time… I came here to warn you… Hachiko-kun…"_)

"Why do you call me that?" Shiisa asked. The man's words about a place he should remember… it sparked something, a name, a place… but where?

(_"It is what I've always called you… my son…"_) The man smiled. (_"As loyal as you are… it is fitting…"_) Shiisa remained silent. (_"The Dead Moon…"_) spoke the man, seeing no need to sidestep the issue. (_"Is about to make its final move… it is a move that would have killed your… students had I not… given them protection…"_)

"Protection. From what?"

(_"It is… what you call… the Null Zone… but it's not what you believe it… to be…"_) The man sighed. (_"This… is not your world… and the rules are different here… this field… is not nullifying your powers…_

(_"It's killing you…"_)

"You lie!" snapped Shiisa. Death was a touchy subject to him, for all that he's lost. "That's impossible. The effects would have been—"

(_"They are guarded against… everytime you Riders… draw upon your armor… but you and Hikari-chan…"_) Shiisa stiffened. He knew what Naraku called his sister, what only Raijin was allowed to call Midoriko? (_"She has her vow… and your's… is asleep…"_)

That, was certainly not what Shiisa would ever expect to hear. "What?"

(_"The guardian beast of Okinawa… Caesar-sama… is a daikaiju… but he is a kami as well… he is bound differently… just as Mothra is bound differently in Hikari-chan… His is bound by the rules set upon his creation…"_) The man saw Shiisa's rising question and shook his head. (_"There is nothing you can do… to change it… for now… you must rest… and stay asleep… and until your students and their friends… have destroyed the Dead Moon…"_)

"Excuse me, I refuse to let my students go on a life-or-death mission without me, K-Zector be damned!"

(_"It is beyond your power… the spell Nehelenia has cast… has drained your body of strength… it is all that I can do… to keep you and Hikari-chan in this world…"_)

"… I assume that you mean…"

(_"Death…"_) The man nodded and Shiisa suddenly found himself losing his strength, his desire to stay awake. (_"I must go and… offer what aid I can… Rest, Hachiko-kun… tomorrow… is another day…"_)

--

The blast would be described as a pillar of horrorfic hellfire that burst upwards from the center and true circus tent amongst the dozens that floated down amongst Juuban city. The fires stretched upwards into the skies, piercing through the visible darkness, destroying every tent but the original with the ease born from a power far greater than that which created them. They crumbled into pieces before turning to ash on the wind as the black sky melted away into the sapphire blue of daylight as time sped itself forward.

The machinations of Nehelenia's spell are hard at best to describe and control but to put it in mundane terms, her 'spider-web' spell not only served as creating a veil from the sun's ever piercing light into her darkness, but it held the golden orb in place long enough for her to literally drag the moon from its proper place before it, locking the two heavenly bodies in an unnatural hold in the sky.

When Burning Gojira had unleashed his ultimate attack upon Nehelenia, it was an attack driven by something far stronger than the emotions used by the Dead Moon Queen to create the spell that held the moon and sun. Hers was driven by fear, by jealousy, by her selfish desire to remain forever beautiful despite knowing that nothing could ever last forever as the Silver Millennium, nay her own kingdom, had been testament to. However, for the Rider, it was an entirely different case. His were driven by dark emotions and light emotions intertwined to form a strategic web. Anger and hatred, fear and despair, love and friendship, happiness and courage… All these and more were pushed entirely into his attack and it was because of this that Burning Gojira was able to break all the spells Nehelenia had cast, including those cast upon herself.

And then, a miracle occurred.

Time and magic were bitter enemies quite often; magic having to bend the rules of time to accomplish its goals, something which was not appreciated by it in the least. Whenever the opportunity arose, time would do its best to spite magic, and what it was presented with now was far too good a chance to pass up. The sun and the moon moved with a speed faster than what should have been possible in order to accomplish something never before witnessed in history both remembered and forgotten.

A red moon set as the sun rose in the west.

--

A week.

Seven days, six hours, and forty-seven minutes since Shiisa Miyrabi had seen, spoken, or heard from Setsuna Meioh. Not that she hadn't tried to communicate with him. She'd done everything short of coming to his home, which she couldn't only because she didn't know where he lived. It was killing him, not talking to her, not seeing her. He missed the sparkle in her garnet orbs when she was excited by a new dress on the market from her favorite shoppe, the silk-like feeling of her tanned skin matched only by the feeling of her long forest-green tresses. Her scent mixed delicately with her perfume, making a combination that shouldn't work but did so with a gutso.

But that didn't change the pain he felt. How could he have been so foolish? Here he was talking to his students about noticing the obvious and here he was dating a Sailor Scout for most of the Dead Moon fiasco and he never once noticed! It took his rejuvenated armor to alert him of the fact and though he didn't want to, Shiisa freely admitted this to his cubs

Since then, they had there own random encounters with the three Outer Senshi. Takuya had nearly gotten to blows with Haruka, not surprising, and Morisato had nearly lost his temper with Michiru which was surprising. Shiro, having met the two later and not referring to his relations to the other two had a decent time talking with them and found them interesting if not mislead on some counts. However, it was who Eiji met that had Shiisa's full attention right now.

"Setsuna?" Shiisa gripped his can of juice tightly, the fridge door still open and his eyes never leaving its contents despite having found what he was searching for. "You met with her?"

"Ran into her is more like it…" mumbled Eiji low enough that Shiisa was once more glad of the return of his M-base. "Look, Old Man… Sensei… she's really bad off without you." Shiisa didn't say anything, his silence speaking for him. "Do you think any of us were any different when we found out?"

"No… but this is different… your's at least fought… what reason did she have not to?"

"According to Lita, one, the Sailor Scout of the planet Saturn."

"Sailor Saturn?" Shiisa turned and looked at his star pupil. "What about her? I thought she was being raised by her father."

"He died." Eiji stated bluntly. "During the attack by some interdimensional freak named Pharoah 90. Seeing themselves as the ones responsible, Setsuna and the other remaining Outer Senshi took the girl, reborn as a baby, into their care." Eiji sighed. "Apparently, that's what they've been doing all this time and though Setsuna wasn't aware of what I knew, she let slip that the Saturn girl, Hotaru I believe is what she's called, is the same age as when she died."

"… So, what do you expect me to do, Commander?" asked Shiisa. He wasn't being snide or rude by addressing his student as such. He well and truly was looking for words of advice from one who had similar experience to the problem.

"Honestly? I think it's time we meet these Outer Senshi and they meet us. As Kamen Riders. More than that, I think you should get up off your weepy ass and call her. You obviously miss her, Old Man."

"I have not been weepy." Shiisa stated quite stiffly. He gave the younger boy a critical eye. "And remember, older though I might be, I can still kick your butt, pup." He drank from his can. "… Think the Shiro's temple a good place?"

"Not necessarily his just yet, but yeah. It should serve our purpose. Ask her to bring the kid."

"Kids." Shiisa corrected absently.

"Eh?"

"Kids. Setsuna mentioned that they had adopted a boy around Hotaru-chan's age. A foreign one believe it or not."

"A foreigner, huh…?" Eiji noted, idly remembering the foreign refugees, what little of them there were. "Might as well bring him into this as well. If he lives with them I'm sure he'd find out eventually if he hasn't already."

"I'll do that…" Shiisa spoke softly.

"… Old Man… she's the one, isn't she?" Eiji suddenly asked, his voice just as soft.

"I hope she is, Pup. I really hope she is…"

* * *

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

Wondering what happened in the lives of the Outer Senshi? What reasons they had for not helping their fellows and the Riders when help was so desperately needed? Better yet, wondering just what it was that had appeared in their world, waaay back when? Well, you'll just have to wait and see next chapter!

What Came Between


	25. What Came Between

Me: Blast it, I can't wait any longer!

Bahamut: WTH?

Me: I shall post the next chapter here and now!

Mewtwo: Why?

Me: Because I want to post the chapter after this one.

Bahamut: Why?

Me: Because... I want people to stew.

Muses: (?)

Me: You'll see.

* * *

**WARNING: Slight OCness. Why? This is an AU-fic thus an alternate change in perspective and personality are bound to occur.**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

What Came Between

Must run, have to run. They'll find it if it doesn't run. It has to hide to flee from the noise, the noise, the noise! Such endless noise and light and smells! Too many, too many! There's too much to see, to smell, to hear, it cannot stand it! It wants to go back but it can't, it just can't mama. It wants to mama, it really does but it just can't. Help it, mama…!

It doesn't want to stay here.

Run, hide, retreat to the water, where its safe, where its quiet, where nothing can hurt it as it tries to rest… Tries to remember. Who it is, where it is, and why it is… here? No, why it is. It is because it is? No, it is because it has nothing left. No home, no memories, no mama…

It wants to die…

No.

It can't.

He won't let it die.

--

"Hey, look it's the freak!" A snide group of voices sent chills down thirteen-year-old Hotaru's spine. Though she remembered little of her life with her birth father and nothing whatsoever as Saturn, Hotaru still remembered the good and the bad memories of her past life and one of those bad memories was making itself known from that familiar voice. She looked around, silently wishing she hadn't decided on taking a shortcut through the park and was preparing to run towards home if need be despite the weakness it would bring when she suddenly realized it was not her that the group of bullies were referring to.

Walking carefully behind them, Hotaru peered past them, clutching her bookbag tight, to see a young boy, possibly her age, she couldn't tell. What she could tell was that his clothes were in desperate need of a good wash with stains and tears all over as though he had nothing more to wear than what he had on. His hair was cropped hapharzardly, like he had taken a knife at it to cut it, and was colored like an old man's, a wisened gray. His eyes were closed and his arms crossed over his face to block the rain of rocks and sticks being thrown at him by the other kids.

"Go back to the hole you crawled out of!"

"Try and steal some soap next time!"

And other such taunts rained on the boy until, finally, Hotaru had seen enough.

"STOP IT!" Hotaru's explosion of courage was suddenly doused by a bucket of shyness as she immediately became the center of attention in the area. "Please…?"

"Why should we?" asked the ringleader. "Who's gonna stop us? You? As if!"

Hotaru took a deep breath and let it slow, her eyes closed. When she opened them, they were glowing a brilliant shade of purple. That sent the pack running, crying for their parents while their victim lay where he was, still crouched with his arms held up for more blows. Aware of the silence, the boy slowly lowered his arms and Hotaru could finally see for herself what made him a 'freak' to other children.

His eyes were… wrong… Never mind the fact that, from the structure of his face, he was a foreigner, his eyes were opposite of what they should have been. His pupils were black but so were the supposed whites of his eyes and his irises were compareable only to snow in their shining purity. It was an unnerving sight but not so much so to Hotaru, who knelt down beside the boy, despite his smell, and asked, "Are you alright?"

The boy stared at her and swallowed, breathing raggedly as though he couldn't… Hotaru's eyes widened and she quickly placed a hand over his chest. Her palm glowed gently and, for an instant, the boy found himself unable to operate his lungs when, just as suddenly, he could breathe. He could well and truly breathe!

"Que… sera, sera…" The boy placed a hand over his chest, breathing easily for the first time since those other kids had started to attack him. He looked to her and tilted his head in confusion before suddenly nodding. "It… thanks you…"

"You're welcome," Hotaru smiled, choosing to ignore the boy's strange speech. "Are you going to be alright?"

He looked slightly torn, before nodding. "It will be alright…"

"Good!" Hotaru was positively beaming. For once, she was the one helping someone out that hadn't run away in fear, though she did recall a girl… with pink hair? "My name is Hotaru. What's yours?"

The boy looked confused before his eyes widened and he reached into his shirt and pulled out a military-style necklace with a pair of dogtags attached to them. He held one up to his narrowed eyes. "Hud…son…. Hudson! It is called Hudson!" The boy was positively beaming with delight.

"Hudson…" Hotaru tested the name out, smiling slightly. She liked it, it seemed to suit him for whatever reason. She suddenly noticed that his eyes were drawn to her bookbag and, looking down herself, Hotaru saw her newly purchased copy of Moonlight Pegasus was peaking out. Blushing slightly in embarrassment, she shoved the book back into her bag.

"That is book?" Hudson inquired. "It seen many book like that. Why?"

"You've never read it?" asked Hotaru, completely surprised. Even Haruka-papa, the very personification of manliness in women read it and was close to tears. In fact, it was because of Haruka-papa reading it to her one night, before having to retreat and take care of something 'in her eye', that Hotaru was inspired to purchase the book herself.

Hudson blushed and looked down the hill towards the river. "It doesn't know to read…"

Hotaru frowned, not knowing what to say to that. She had an idea as to the boy's homelife by his appearance and the way he spoke but he seemed fine physically aside from some breathing problems, that had to count for something… Right…? Well, let it never be said that Hotaru didn't try to at least add some more to her unwritten list of good-deeds.

"If you want, I can read it to you. My music lessons don't start for another hour or two…" She was no Michiru-mama, but Hotaru had a skill with music that her marine-haired guardian wished she had at Hotaru's age. Hudson looked surprised but smiled and nodded shyly.

"It would like that…"

--

Every day after that, Hotaru made it a special case to go to river bank in the park where she had first met Hudson and spen an hour reading to him. After reading the first two chapters of Moonlight Pegasus with him, Hudson had asked if she would read to him again tomorrow and, not wanting to lose the first friend she could remember, Hotaru agreed.

It took two trips after school and before her lessons for Hotaru to succumb to the desire and began to slowly help Hudson with his speaking skills. It took her three for her to ask him what his home life was like, carefully worded of course lest she offend or sadden her new friend, only to hear a plain response and a request for another chapter before she had to leave.

It was the fourth trip she realized a horrific truth and made a firm resolution.

--

"Hudson…" Hotaru had walked up to the boy sitting in what some could call 'their spot' as it was the same one that the both of them had occupied these past few days. "How long do you wait here for me?"

Hudson blinked and paused to think up the proper words. "It waited… the first two days here, not going to its home… then, when it found out Hotaru would come back, it returned home…"

"You waited here for me for an entire day?" Hotaru asked, completely surprised and a slight bit touched. Was she so needed by this boy? "Weren't your parents worried?"

"Don't have papa or mama… never knew papa but miss mama… miss mama a lot…" Hudson whispered.

Hotaru's concern grew. "Hudson, where do you live?"

Hudson frowned before shaking his head. "Words too hard… it can show Hotaru. Not far from here."

"Alright."

Hudson led her down towards the river and followed alongside it before coming to a large hole carved out beneath one of the riverbank trees. Hudson smiled and got down onto all fours and patted the hole. "This is its home."

Hotaru's face paled and she knelt down beside him and looked inside and felt slightly disgusted. The inside was covered in rotted leaves, serving as some kind of bedding, and was littered with empty cans paper bags that Hotaru instinctively knew were not the proper food for any human being.

She had considered the idea at odd times these past few days, during times when she had nothing better to do than to float amongst her thoughts and daydreams, but here, now, she had firm it into an ironclad belief that she was in the right. So it was with no hesitation that she voiced the question she should have asked in the beginning.

"Would you like to visit my house, Hudson?"

--

It wasn't too hard to sneak Hudson into the house. Setsuna-mama was busy in her office and wouldn't be bothered unless something broke and only if she heard the crash herself. Haruka-papa was out signing up for another race and Michiru-mama was teaching in her art class, so Hotaru had plenty of time to get her plan started. She led Hudson up into Haruka-papa's room and, ahem, borrowed some of her spare clothes. Hotaru instructed Hudson to go and take a long bath while she tried to find some clothes that Haruka-papa wouldn't instantly recognize as her own.

It was then that the first problem occurred.

"It doesn't understand… what is bath?"

After a long and embarrassing conversation between the both of them, a suddenly shy Hudson was all too quick to jump into the room and proceed to drown himself in the hot waters of the shower amidst clouds of bubbly soap. He could have done without the feminine-like scent of the soaps but if it made Hotaru happy it would make him even happier. Once he was clean, dressed, and his old clothes properly dealt with, read tossed into the trash can, Hotaru encountered her second problem.

"How to convince Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama…" Hotaru muttered to herself while Hudson amused himself by gazing around her room with rapt fascination and gushing at how large it was compared to his own. She smiled from time to time at how he would play with something for a few seconds before moving on the to the next thing. He was careful with how he touched her things that it was kind of cute…

Still, she couldn't avoid thinking about how to convince her two most suspicious guardians. Setsuna-mama would know how bad Hudson was, she knew everything even that time when Hotaru had taken the last of Michiru-mama's cookies, and was the most… well, she was the most reasonable out of the three. Michiru-mama wouldn't mind it if Hudson was a girl but seeing as he was a boy… Hotaru knew that Michiru tended to lean slightly towards Haruka's way of thinking when it came to boys and their little girl.

In other words.

No.

Meanwhile, as Hotaru was thinking over what she could say, Hudson had wandered out of her room and was walking through her home with wide eyes. He had seen homes before, in pictures and such, but never knew they were so very big! One could hide an elephant in here if one were so tempted and Hudson was very tempted to try though his mind was otherwise occupied with testing out everything he could find.

After amusing himself himself with the hallway lights and the occasional drawer, Hudson had found himself in the spacious kitchen. He saw the many shiny things there were that decorated the room, mostly utensils and such, but what really had his mismatched eyes was the implements of a strange device he had never seen before.

It had a large door in the front and resting on its top were four strange square shaped… whatevers… Hudson didn't care, they were shiny and that was enough for him. Playing around with one and admiring how well it shined, he noted the nobs lined above the door of the device. Setting down the shiny implement and resting on sleeve-covered hand atop to better balance himself as he turned it.

The was a faint clicking sound before a plume of fire, uncovered and unimpeded by the grill-guard, burst upwards, startling the boy back and away but the lit stove as he stared with wide and unblinking eyes.

He remembered, burning flames scorching the sky, the land, burning everything on a godlike warpath. Towers of glass and steel crumbling away as it searched for a sign, a message that she was there, somewhere, waiting for it to come home.

Only the strange scent of burning fabrics drew Hudson's attention from the fire down to his left arm, where a smaller but no less dangerous flame was alit on the sleeve of his borrowed shirt. If anything, his eyes grew wider than before as he started to stumble back from the sight of his burning limb. He could feel no pain, just a warm sensation, but the sight alone was enough to terrify him nearly beyond comprehension. It was all he could do just to scream and scream he did but not just some random noise but a word. A word that had more power over him than any ever did, even those he couldn't bring himself to remember.

"HOOOOOTAAAAAAARRRRUUUUUU!"

--

What occurred next was a rather like a scene out of an old American cartoon and best left to the imagination. Let us just say that Hotaru had dealt with Hudson's arm, albeit with a similar state of panic, while the stove itself was taken care by someone else.

Haruka.

Needless to say, the older woman was not at all pleased to find an uninvited guest in their house wearing her old clothes which, thanks to the fire, were properly ruined. Michiru was just thankful no one was hurt while Setsuna herself had grown the slightest bit more worried. Ever since the final battle with Pharoah 90, the three Outer Senshi had slowly lost their ability to transform and what small gifts they had. Even Setsuna, Guardian of Time itself had lost her ability to see anything beyond a white mist amidst the Time Gates.

She had been increasingly finding herself surprised with every growing day and it was something that Setsuna did not like in the slightest. It gave her a feeling of helplessness, something which had been glorified with little Hotaru's new friend.

"Okay, just who is this kid and what the he—" Haruka immediately noted the critical eye she was receiving from her partner. "-ck… was he thinking playing with the stove like that?"

Hudson was sitting across from them at the dinner table with Hotaru by his side, his eyes hidden by his gray locks as he looked down in shame.

"It's not his fault," argued Hotaru. "He's just… curious that's all."

"Hotaru-chan," Michiru spoke calmly to the girl. "Curious or not, your friend could have really hurt himself." Apparently, the boy was uninjured though none of the elder three could tell as he only allowed Hotaru near him as he was sitting in the corner, shivering from the cold water that was tossed upon him though it wasn't truly the cold that had bothered him so.

"It sorry… please… don't punish Hotaru… punish it, it will take tests." Hudson spoke for the first time, his eyes still downcast. Setsuna and Michiru traded concerned looks while Haruka quirked an eyebrow in confusion.

"Tests?" she asked. What, did this boy think Hotaru got punished with a math exam?

Hudson nodded before looking up at them, revealing the strange eyes he had. He would have been surprised at their lack of emotion to the sight of his eyes were he not so troubled by the flickering memories the flames had returned. "It can take it… it has had lots of tests…"

Setsuna leaned forward, noting that Hudson flinched back slightly. "What kinds of tests… Hudson?" She looked at Hotaru, who nodded.

"Breakings… and beatings… burnings…" Hudson shivered and held himself tightly. "Burnings… lots of burnings…"

"Hotaru." Haruka suddenly spoke. "Go to your room."

"What? But, Haruka-papa!"

"Don't worry, sweety." Michiru smiled. "We're just going to talk with your friend, neither of you are going to be punished."

"Someone at child services on the other hand…" Haruka faintly growled.

Reluctantly, Hotaru did as she was told and left, leaving Hudson alone to fully tell as best as he could the life that he could remember. It was a difficult discussion made more so by a combination of Hudson's bad speaking skills and Haruka's infamous temper. The talk was long, made longer by the brief moments where it would look as though one of the three, primarily Haruka, was about to go and break something, probably a person's face.

Hudson's tale was as heartbreaking as it could get and all three knew it to be true having a great combination of maternal, and in Haruka's case a bit of paternal, instincts mixed with the eyes of those who knew better to judge a person by how they acted and not what they said. The way Hudson spoke made it obvious that it was as truthful as he could remember despite his severe case of amnesia.

Apparently, his eyes were not the only strange thing about him for, like Hotaru, he possessed a remarkable gift and that gift was a kind of invulnerability. He could be hurt yes but whatever caused him pain was remembered by his body and though the pain would be felt all the same, his body would remember how it was healed and thus heal itself at a faster rate than before. The scientists that gave him his eyes, for he faintly recalled that his eyes were green before 'The Bad Thing". What this "Bad Thing" was, he never said, but it was obvious that the scientists who had done this to him had felt little emotion towards the boy.

They did everything they could do that wouldn't kill him. They broke his limbs, poisoned him, cut him, everything they could get away with, which was only limited by what wouldn't outright kill the boy. When he had grown so used to the pain that his mind could no longer register it, they had tried a deadlier approach.

Fire.

The boy feared it with a passion despite having no sense of pain from it and healing quickly because of it. Whatever they had done had scarred him to the point where even the sight of it would send him into a terrible sea of fear and despair. They never taught him anything, only interested in how his healing could be reproduced amongst them, so he had to resort to learning from what little contact he received from them, thus why he spoke so poorly about himself.

They never called him anything but 'It' and so he saw himself as 'It'.

Those words, albeit spoken differently than as what I had written, were more than enough to guarantee a unanimous discision between the three older girls but Hudson wasn't finished.

He claimed that he once had a mother, for he remembered that the necklace he wore with the dogtags were all he had to remember himself as 'Hudson'. He wasn't allowed anything else beyond that, so it had to have been a gift from his mama. How he had escaped the 'Bad Place' he couldn't remember nor did he ever truly remember anyone ever caring about his well-being save for one person.

Hotaru.

She saved him from a group of bullies for no reason and helped him with his speaking and reading skills despite him never asking for it. She even shared food with him and here, today, she had given him the opportunity to be clean and dressed in clothes he hadn't been forced to dig amongst trash piles to find and wear.

He had heard once, from the safety of the trees, a group of children call Hotaru many bad things and he had been more than angry. He didn't actually recall what he had did, only that they had run screaming from his part of the Juuban Park grounds. Hotaru wasn't anything like what those mean children said she was; she was special, she was kind, she was beautiful…

She was an angel.

His guardian angel.

--

"Hey kiddo," Haruka stuck her head into Hotaru's room and saw the girl in question was sitting atop her bed looking both concerned and anxious. "Mind if I come in?" At Hotaru's nod, Haruka did so and allowed the silence to stretch for a moment before speaking. "Look, I'm not going to beat around the bush with you, Hotaru-chan. You broke a lot of rules today, all for a good cause I'm sure, but you broke them anyway. You should have come to us right from the beginning when you first met that boy. Why didn't you?"

"I…" Hotaru blushed and hugged her pillow tighter. "Hudson, he… he needed me and I… I wanted to be the one to help him and I thought, that if I told you, or Michiru-mama, or Setsuna-mama, that you'd put him in an orphanage…"

Haruka sighed. '_I doubt any of them would take a kid with eyes like that and the way he talks, I doubt he'd be left alone by the bullies._' She shook her head. "I can't deny or agree with you, Hotaru-chan. Truth is, you didn't trust us to do the right thing." That phrase, gods how she hated that phrase… "Still…" Haruka sighed and made an obviously false frown. "I guess we got no choice."

"But—!"

"We'll have to let the kid live here." Haruka smirked at Hotaru's stunned face. "Don't be too shocked. You expected otherwise from us? Oh, and don't be too happy either. He'll be staying in the room next to Setsuna's and neither of you can shut your doors. Ever. Got it?" Kids or not, too young or not, Haruka would NOT be having any hanky-panky with her adopted child thank-you-very-much!

--

The changes in her life were both strange yet… pleasing at the same time to one Setsuna Meioh. It was true that she and her two fellow Outer Senshi could no longer transform into their Scout forms, but the novelty of a normal life didn't seem to end for them what with Hudson added to their family. In the past months, they had a shared duty of raising the two children while also keeping an occasional eye on the Scouts and their new allies the Kamen Riders.

Neither Haruka or Michiru fully trusted the group and Setsuna herself was neutral, as always. Having read how most of their attacks were finished with an assassin's accuracy, it wasn't that surprising really. Still, as the cooperation grew between the Sailor Scouts and the Kamen Riders, the three Outer Senshi found their trust growing to match. Still, being unable to truly offer help, nor completely willing either, the three focused more on the two younglings that had somehow become the main focus of their lives, something none of them would ever trade for anything in the world.

Haruka still remained the playmate and, ironically, the physical education teacher for the two during summer break and, once school started again, weekends. During the summer, neither of the two kids could be separated and Haruka found herself playing more than her fair share of children's games. She managed to convince a game of cards or two once and a while, especially when Michiru wasn't around and Setsuna was out on a date. Once school started up for Hotaru, she made sure that, when he wasn't learning from Setsuna or Michiru, Hudson had his time preoccupied instead of spending it waiting for Hotaru to come home.

Thus far, the points stand 43-40 in Hudson's favor, though Haruka would argue that checkers doesn't count.

Michiru remained the chef of the family, her skills unrivaled as neither of the kids could cook, Setsuna had never really had a need to before and thus never learned, and Haruka… Well, lets just say that was mistake that will NEVER be repeated. EVER. However, now that Hotaru had gained an appreciation for music, Michiru had started to teach her the violin and Hudson the piano. The boy had initially wanted a pair of drums, something that none of them would agree with, though Haruka seemed privy to the idea. Michiru managed to aim him to the piano so as to better compliment Hotaru. No further words were needed and Michiru had to admire how quickly Hudson was learning. She knew it had more to do with making Hotaru proud rather than herself but Michiru felt pride nonetheless, her babies were growing up.

Of course, some awkward moments appeared, especially that time when Hudson asked her where babies came from. She aimed him at Setsuna and made a strategic retreat.

Setsuna herself remained the educator though most of her efforts were aimed at Hudson and improving his speaking and reading skills. Thus far, he had managed to increase his reading level to a few grades below Hotaru, quite the accomplishment considering he could barely read at all. His speech mannerisms were another thing altogether unfortunately. Hudson just couldn't refer to himself outside of third person and Setsuna considered herself lucky that she managed to get him to refer to himself by his name rather than 'It' though he still reverted to the word every now and again. Strangely, it was Setsuna herself that sometimes found herself being the student and Hudson the teacher as one conversation earlier that summer demonstrated…

_Flashback_

_"I honestly think he's starting to stalk me…" muttered Setsuna, staring into her glass of imported English tea with Michiru sitting beside her while Hotaru and Hudson were doing there homework on the otherside of the table. "He's always at the places I like to go to." She explained, heedless of the fact that the two kids were not completely into their work as she and Michiru assumed._

_"I'm sure it's not as bad as you make it sound, Setsuna." Michiru smiled. She was actually glad that someone had finally managed to get under the skin of the impenetrable Sailor Pluto._

_"Maybe it's not that he's going to places you like to go to…" Hudson suddenly spoke up. "Maybe it's that you're going to places he likes to go to…"_

_"What?" Setsuna blinked in surprise. She… hadn't thought of it like that…_

_"Well, it just sounds to Hudson as though he likes the same places as you… so Hudson thinks he and Setsuna are alike." He nodded. "He likes tea, Setsuna likes tea. Setsuna like restaurant, he likes restaurant." He paused for moment, thinking. "He likes Setsuna and… Setsuna likes him?" he asked._

_Her eyes widened and, had Michiru not been paying close attention she would have missed the faint tinge of pink on Setsuna's face._

_End Flashback_

Her relationship with Shiisa was a bit strange. They were mature with each other and never really argued on much. In fact, Setsuna could list the arguments they had on one hand and all but one were arguments based on whether or not she would look good in a certain dress or… bathing suit… However, what was that one argument that wasn't Shiisa's way of saying he liked her for herself as well as her appearance? It can be summed up in three words.

The Kamen Riders.

--

"I just don't know if I could ever trust the Kamen Riders." Setsuna sighed, watching as a pair of children ran past after an errants soccer ball. "They're so violent with how they deal with these… Remless? It makes one wonder just what kind of people they are underneath the mask."

"The kind that have had too much thrust upon them at a young age." Shiisa shrugged. "At least, that's how I see it."

"Yes, why is that?" She suspected for a moment but no, Shiisa was too old, his voice the voice of an adult and though the Riders' voices were disguised, they couldn't hide the fact that they were young, at least in their teen years.

Shiisa had to be careful lest he give too much away but he… if he were to ever gain his abilities back, she'd have to be told the truth and he'd rather have her on his side of this. "The way they fight reminds me a lot of how… a soldier would fight."

"A soldier?" she asked.

He nodded. "Soldiers fighting a war that they've already lost but fighting all the same. They've lost people." He said, looking towards the children playing in the nearby playground. "Too many it seems. They don't want to risk losing anyone else. They might not be friends with the Sailor Scouts but they care about them nonetheless." He turned to look at her and Setsuna found herself drowning in those ruby eyes of his. They were hiding so much that he wanted to say but it wasn't time yet to tell. At least, not everything.

"It's true that they fight brutally but maybe it's because they don't want to give these Remless creatures a chance to press the battle to their advantage. They go in and get the job done not because they want to, but because they have to so the people they care about can live to see another day."

--

Their opinions on the Riders changed as time went on but that wasn't the only to thing to have changed as time went on. With every passing day, their powers were fading and Hudson… whatever sort of superpower that had been forced upon him was fading and his near inhuman invulernability was disappearing more and more. He was succumbing to all the things the mundane dealt with everyday with a ferocity that unnerved his guardians and frightened Hotaru.

He had caught the common cold first and had gotten over it quickly but then it came back, this time accompanied by strep throat. Everytime Hudson became well he'd get sick again a few days later by a deadlier disease than the last until, finally, he succumbed to a bad case of viral pneumonia. His lungs, already damaged by his forgotten past, could barely take the strain.

Hotaru never left his side and Haruka, aangered though she was at being unable to do anything to help the boy, was there as well. Often times, she'd merely wait outside the room, coming in only when Hotaru fell against the grasp of exhaustion, taking over the vigil. Michiru and Setsuna argued over whether or not Hudson's sudden lack of healing had anything to do with the Dead Moon family.

Setsuna argued that not only was it impossible for the Dead Moon to be capable of doing such a thing, they couldn't do anything even if they wanted to. Even if they had the power to become Sailor Scouts… they couldn't get involved in this, not yet. That was the only sure fact Setsuna knew from her last full sight through the Time Gates. The day then came when the Dead Moon made its last strike and the three Outer Senshi could only watch as the city of Juuban from the horizon as, slowly, their family was crumbling apart as the moon blocked out the sun.

Then, a miracle occurred.

To Haruka, it was a pillar of pure demonic power for nothing good could have generated such tremendous force as that beam of energy that pierced the sky and all the dark magic of the Dead Moon. To Michiru, it was something divine for though she could barely feel it, like one would feel a breeze from miles away, she could sense the intent behind the one who delivered the power. To Setsuna, it was a sign that the end had finally come and, whether good or bad, changes were drawing near.

And indeed it seemed as though it was for that very next day, Hudson was up and about with a renewed sense of vigor, over his pneumonia as easily as if it were nothing more than the common cold. However, his immune system aside, his invulnerability was still shot but that wasn't the deepest concern of the three.

No, it was the ever increasing number of children disappearing worldwide with no nation completely left untouched. Though they did their best to remain aloof to it and keep as much of it away from the kids' ears, they heard nonetheless and were affected by it in their own ways.

--

Tired as she was, Haruka was in desperate need of a glass of water despite leaving the comfort of her warm bed and her even warmer lover. Grumbling some choice words, she stumbled into the hallway and turned on the light.

"Gwah!" Haruka bit back the first instinct of attack first, question never, at the sight of seeing Hudson laying down on the floor at the end of the hallway in front of Hotaru's door with naught but a combination of pillow and blanket with the stuffed whale that Setsuna had made for him. He blinked tiredly and looked up at Haruka, rubbing his eyes.

"Uncle Haruka?" He yawned. Haruka suppressed a victorious smirk. She was the first to be called such a thing out of the three despite him being closer to Setsuna. One could argue it was more than likely the boy's sleepiness talking but hey, victory was a victory to Haruka Tenoh. "What you doing?"

"I could ask the same of you, kiddo." Haruka walked over to the boy and looked down at him. "Why are you sleeping in front of Hotaru's room?"

"It—Hudson wanted to… to keep Hotaru safe…"

"Safe from what?"

"The children taker…" Hudson whispered. "Hudson saw on television and heard on radio… 'bout children being taken from home and so Hudson stays here to keep Hotaru-angel safe."

"… How long have you been doing this?" Haruka had an idea already but she wanted to hear for herself.

"Three su—days. Three days, Uncle Haruka." He looked up at her, looking concerned. "Is Hudson in trouble?"

"No, you're not. I like that you care so much about Hotaru but you have to start caring about yourself one of these days." Haruka sighed. The kid's selflessness when it came to Hotaru was beyond admirable but really… if given the chance, he'd die for her and, knowing their lives, such a situation could happen and if it did… Hotaru would never be able to forgive herself.

"Hudson isn't…" he looked down, wrapping his blanket tight around him. "Hudson isn't as important as Hotaru-angel. She is everything to Uncle Haruka, Auntie Michiru, and Auntie Setsuna. If Hudson were to die, he—"

"Stop." Haruka roughly grabbed the boy by his shoulders, making him look into her eyes. "Stop right there, Hudson. Don't you ever think that you don't mean anything to anyone, least of all us. You're a part of our family, Kiddo, and you know what that means right? Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. Gods, Michiru and Setsuna adore you as much, if not more, than I and I know that Hotaru loves you. She never left your side when you were sick."

"She—She didn't… Hotaru-angel…" Hudson looked convicted with himself. He had been with them for several months now and he considered himself as something which was more than nothing but… to be loved… he had never had such a thing occur in most of his life. Only his mother had ever loved him and look what that cost her… "… really…?"

"Well, don't take my word for it, ask her yourself."

Hudson's eyes widened and he turned around to see the slight crack in the door where a pair of violet eyes were watching him. "Angel?!"

Haruka walked back to her room, her glass of water completely forgotten, as she left the two behind to work out their problems on their own. It had taken a while for her to realize it but Haruka realized that, despite his quirks, Hudson was the best there was for her little girl. Regressed maternal instincts aside, from a soldier's eyes he was the best there could be as though—

Haruka paused halfway to her bed and Michiru.

'_As though he was raised and trained as a soldier…_'

--

"You are Sailor Pluto."

Setsuna stiffened, her reflection on her computer's screen showing her wide eyes. She turned her chair around, her face once more a mask of neutrality. Hudson was sitting where he had been sitting since Hotaru had left for school and he had decided to study one of Setsuna's books in her office. They were nearly done teaching him everything a boy his age should know and, come the next semester, he would be joing Hotaru at school with a pair of colored contact lenses to hide the strangeness of his eyes. The same eyes that had been staring at Setsuna for some time now.

"Beg your pardon? Why would you say that Hudson?"

The boy pulled slightly at the book in his lap, revealing the magazine hidden there where, much to Setsuna's displeasure, the main article featured the Sailor Scouts. Primarily, herself and the Outer Senshi back during when the Heart Snatchers were still a threat. Hudson placed a gentle hand over the picture of Sailor Pluto and Setsuna thought for just a moment that the disguise field had failed because of Hudson's lack of intelligence but the guilt washed away that thought as quickly as it formed. Hudson had proven time and again that he was smarter than what most would assume as he was about to prove.

"Pluto has long hair like emeralds, just like Auntie Setsuna. She has ruby eyes just like Sailor Pluto. She is of darker skin, like Auntie Setsuna. She fights alongside Uranus and Neptune, like Setsuna does with Uncle Haruka and Auntie Michiru… both who look like Uranus and Neptune and are as close as Uranus and Neptune." He flipped the page and frowned sadly, stroking a picture gently. "They love Tenshi-chan," he whispered his nickname for Hotaru, his 'Cute Angel'. "Just as the Senshi love Sailor Saturn."

He looked up at her, his eyes sad. "You are Sailor Pluto but you are not. Have you forgotten, like Tenshi-chan?"

She would have asked him his reasonings but Setsuna had learned long ago that Hudson had a way of thinking in several odd tangents that, while not too complex for one such as herself, it was better to save time and go with the flow. "I have not, Hudson."

"Then why not stop the child nappings?" he asked. "Why not help the Sailor Scouts and Kamen Riders?" Those two innocent words always sent a brief surge of rage through him and he never could understand why. Still he continued, "They need help if they haven't stopped it."

"Michiru, Haruka, and I, can no longer transform into Sailor Scouts, Hudson. The power to do so is lost to us."

"Lie!" He yelled, pointing an accussing finger at her. "Auntie Setsuna always says the power to change the future is in ourselves, so Aunties and Uncle can change! They just have to want to!"

Setsuna suppressed a sigh. Ah, the innocence of youth. "Hudson, it's not as simple as you make it sound!"

"Yes it is! It's like the little train that could, you gotta believe in yourself, Auntie!" He exclaimed. "Tenshi-chan believes in you, Shiisa believes in you… and I believe in you." He looked so sad it was almost heartbreaking.

"Why don't you believe in you?"

--

The three of them stood together in the darkness atop the roof of their home.

"Doors locked."

"Windows shut and locked."

"So…" Michiru spoke slowly. "Are we really going to do this?"

"Yes." A small part of Setsuna knew that they risked the chance of losing their kids to whatever force was taking the children of earth but another knew that another, also important child had been taken already. "We have to believe in ourselves."

"Alright, enough with the Disney crap." Haruka brandished her fist. "Let's do this."

They raised their hands to the air and began to speak the old words for the transformation to begin but something… changed… in an instant they were suddenly aware of a difference in themselves and what they were as they cried out:

"Uranus Crystal Power!"

"Neptune Crystal Power!"

"Pluto Crystal Power!"

Standing there were no ordinary women but warriors, soldiers of the outer rim of the system, each carrying one of three sacred treasures of the pure heart. They were as they once were but different as well for, like their fellows of the inner rim, they too had grown. They were no longer just Sailor Scouts.

They were Super Senshi.

"I don't know about you two, but I've got just one thing to say." Sailor Uranus brought her Space Sword to the fore. "I make this look good."

--

His eyes opened slowly, their redness shining like glowing pools of blood.

It was finally time.

He had gathered his… soldiers to create an army he never thought he would need but if his plan was too succeed…

No.

First, he'd need to find the Original… and the rest of those accursed humans! Then and only then would he allow whatever pitiful universe that had given them sanctuary to feel the retribution of harboring such fugitives as the Kamen Riders.

First… he'd have to find them…

In the darkness, the eyes of his soldiers watched as he raised his hand and bid forth a single crystal shard to be created out of the nothingness in the Void. The shard pulsed with light like an inorganic heart, before speeding through the fabric of their reality and exiting the Void. The eyes were envious at its depature and were all eager for the same freedom but their master was the only one capable of creating a gate strong enough to allow them to travel out of this hellish universe.

But he wouldn't.

Why?

Two reasons.

First, they, like him, wanted revenge and they too would bide their time until the chance arose as time itself held no meaning here and they could continue to exist until eternity's end. Some would be envious but not they for what was eternity if vengeance would continue on unsatisified? No, they too would wait for the chance of revenge.

Second…

Well, actually… the time is not yet right to reveal such a thing for the eyes watching the soldiers and their master were eyes that not even I would want to find watching me.

--

She was a wreck and she knew it too. Her eyes were baggy and puffy from crying, something she hadn't done in several years mind you, and she hadn't truly eaten anything for the past two days out of the seven spent without any means of communication between herself and Shiisa. She didn't know what or why but he was either A) avoiding her or B) in serious trouble and having used the Time Gates to scan through every hospital in the tri-city area, Setsuna knew it was the first option.

She tried searching for him but for whatever reason, her control of the Time Gates were not up to snuff it seemed since she was completely unable to lock him as well as the Kamen Riders that thought so poorly of her two fellow Senshi. Yet not so of herself but she could care less about that, all she wanted to know was what she had done, or what she had said to have—

Her cell phone rang and though it was across her room, it was in her hand in a sheer instant, the id of the caller blazing like liquid fire.

Shiisa Miyrabi.

She didn't have time to get the first word in. _"Setsuna-chan, I'm sorry but… I think, no, I know. It's time, Setsuna…" _Her breath caught in her throat; his timing… no, it couldn't be. _"Come into my parlor said the Kamen Rider to the Sailor Scout."_

--

"Are you sure this isn't a trap?" muttered Haruka, her eyes glancing down towards Hotaru and Hudson. She didn't want them to be involved but seeing as Hudson already knew who they were and Hotaru was Sailor Saturn…

"Shiisa has never lied to me." Setsuna spoke with clear conviction, and more emotion than she normally displayed to the two.

"But isn't he a Kamen Rider?" asked Michiru. "Specifically that golden one we fought with?"

"Caesar and yes he is and, like us, it's only recently that he's gained the ability to do so again."

"And you still don't think he's setting us up for a trap because…?" asked Haruka.

"Let's just say that the others are more intimately involved than what we assumed." Setsuna spoke dryly, despite the small blush on her face. Like she was really one to talk…

--

At Rei's family temple, the two groups of Riders and Scouts, minus three, were sitting and waiting for the Outer Senshi to show up.

"So you've been dating Setsuna?" asked Mina for what was likely the tenth time.

"Is it really so hard to believe?" Shiisa chuckled, actually amused with the blonde. "She's a remarkable woman…" He smiled before suddenly saying, "That and she's got great pair of legs."

The boys groaned in embarrassment while the girls blushed pink though they giggled girlishly.

"Neh, Takuya, what do you like?" asked Mina. Takuya himself looked as though she had asked him to do something illegal with a fish.

"What?" Oh no, he did NOT just squeak.

"What do you like, legs, bum, or—"

"LEGS!" he suddenly exclaimed, much to Morisato's amusement.

"Yes," he nodded sagely. "They are nice though I much prefer Ami's."

Said bluenette resembled a tomato and stuttered inaudibly while the other girls giggled.

"Can we try to keep on track here?" asked Eiji, somewhat wearily. "Some seriousness here people."

"They're here." Shiro suddenly spoke up, his eyes glowing with molten light. His eyes narrowed in confusion. "Strange… that boy looks… familiar…"

"What? The gaijin brat?" snorted Takuya.

The door slid open, revealing the four untransformed Outer Senshi and one foreign boy. Four pairs of eyes widened in shock as fingers suddenly pointed at one another.

"YOU!"

"You're the brat at the arcade!" yelled Haruka, pointing at Takuya who was looking just as irked.

"You're that crossdressing weirdo!"

"You're the boy from the benefit concert," gasped Michiru. "The one who played the guitar…"

"Heh, so glad to be remembered…" Morisato blushed in embarrassment.

Eiji frowned slightly but stood from his seat. "It seems that some of us have already met before but regardless, let us introduce ourselves. I'm Eiji Kusanagi and I—" He stopped himself short as his eyes as well as the eyes of his fellow Riders snapped to the boy standing beside the young girl who, along with the other girls, flinched at the sudden feeling in the air. It was a massive amount of killing intent, too much for a boy to generate, so how could this foreigner accomplish such a feat and why?

I'll tell you.

In that very instant that Eiji introduced himself, he became the key to unlock the door to Hudson's memories and it was those memories that flooded through his suddenly chaotic mind. The experiments, the training, the agony, the death, the destruction… it was as clear as day once more and connected to it all was single name.

"Kusanagi…" Hudson growled low in his throat, his pupils growing until his eyes were like that of a shark's. "He remembers… he remembers you! It's your fault! For everything done to it!"

"Oh?" Eiji's slowly took a subtle fighting stance. "And just what have I done to you?"

"Everything! The Project, the pain, mama… It's your fault!" Hudson roared. "And it will let him kill you, Kusanagi! Execute! Kaiju Spirit Evolution!"

* * *

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

A bastardized version of themselves, none of the Kamen Riders would ever expect to find it here, in this world, years after its supposed destruction. They had been told that it had been destroyed after its sole mission resulted in the destruction of the entire northeastern sector of what was once America and, supposedly, itself. They were wrong.

What Came After

* * *


	26. What Came After

Me: YOH! I'm back with another update! Finally, we reveal another Kamen Rider! Ten bucks to whomever can guess the kaiju's name!

Bahamut: What? That thing doesn't have one!

Me: Shush! They don't need to know that!

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

What Came After

"AWAKEN!"

An orb of colored light surrounded the boy, before it burst to reveal his armorless form bedecked only in the leatherlike bodysuit colored a charcoal gray. He wore a pair of boots and his head was bedecked with a helmet shaped like a sort of predatorial fish with no visor but a pair of bulbous sharklike eyes. A pair of sacs located at the base of the helmet expanded and contracted like a pair of secondary lungs.

"KAMEN RIDER KISHIN!"

"CAST-ON!" A burst of light and, suddenly, there was a monstrously large pair of holographic arms located above Kishin's own, both of which ended in thick muscled, tri-fingered hands. A sinuous tail twice as long as he was tall swiveled in the air behind him. All three appendages were colored the same as the bodysuit, making them appear to blend seamlessly despite their translucence. "CHANGE BERSERKER!"

The title could not fit him more as Kishin screamed a beastial roar and charged forward, slamming into the shocked Eiji and knocking them both into the forest grounds behind the temple. Kishin raised his holo arms up and prepared to slam them down upon Eiji when—

"WAKE UP! KAMEN RIDER!"

"GAMERA!"

"RODAN!"

"ANGUIRUS!"

Kishin turned and growled low in his throat as the four Riders came hurtling after him and his prey. His arms flashed forward, grabbing ahold of Gamera and Anguirus, chucking them both at Rodan. He was completely unaware of the distraction they had just served to create.

"Execute! Kaiju Spirit Evolution!"

"WAKE UP!"

"NO!" Kishin turned, slamming both pairs of fists down upon the ground, sending up a huge plume of dust into the air, blocking him and his prey from sight. For a moment, all was still.

"_Atomic Fire!_"

A machine-gun burst of atomic fireballs sent Kishin flying out of the cloud to land roughly upon his back before he flipped himself up onto his feet with natural instinct mixing in with his mind. Instinct that wasn't his own as he took to the trees to dodge a blast of plasma fire from Gamera.

"Stay out of this!" Gojira ordered his troop. "This fight is between me and him!"

"Are you insane?" snarled Rodan, sword in hand. "That thing is—"

"THING?!" A boulder the size of a car roared through the air and impacted where they had been standing before dodging out of the way. "We will kill you for calling us that!"

"Look, don't argue with me." Gojira snapped at Rodan. "Just be sure to keep the girls out of this. They'll only get in the way." In other words, keep them safe while I handle this.

"… If you die, I'm going straight down to hell and kicking your ass, got it Kusanagi?"

"I'd expect nothing less from you, Takuya."

--

"Oh kami-sama…" Shiisa was standing at the hole where Rei's wall had been standing and stared up after his students before turning to look at the group of the girls. "I don't care what you girls can do, this is not your fight. Stay out of this."

"Excuse me!?" Haruka was the first of the stunned group to recover from the shock. "But that's our kid out there!"

"That 'kid' is not as weak as you make him sound." Shiisa stated. "I read the reports, believe me, it will be a miracle if we can stop him before he goes on a rampage through the city."

"Shiisa, Hudson isn't like that he…" What could Setsuna say? Until just a few minutes ago, she hadn't even suspected that the boy, the very one who had been under her roof for these past months to be a Kamen Rider.

"Look," sighed Shiisa. "I understand where you're coming from, I really do, but that boy is dangerous and we have to stop him."

"Scratch that part, Sensei." Anguirus, Gamera, and Rodan appeared next to the gaping hole, landing lightly on their feet.

"What are you three doing here? Why aren't you out there helping Eiji?!" Lita was battling against waves of concern and anger. Why were they here if it was obvious that Eiji needed help?

"We would be if our idiot Commander hadn't ordered us to return here and guarantee that they," Rodan pointed his sword at the untransformed Outer Senshi, "don't interfere."

"Aniki is the strongest of us," Anguirus reassured Lita. "Even if he is fighting that thing."

"HUDSON IS NOT A THING!" The group was startled by Hotaru's sudden scream and were continued to be surprised as she not only marched right up to the Spiked Rider, but proceeded to poke him in the chest. "He's kind, nice, cute, and he cares so much about how everyone else feels that he doesn't care at all about himself! When I first met him, it was people like you that made him call himself 'It' and 'Nothing'!"

"I-I didn't mean—" Anguirus shook his head, too shocked to really form words. He'd never had a girl so angry at him before.

"He wasn't referring to the boy, little one." Gamera spoke calmly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "But the kaiju within him."

"Kaiju…?" She blinked.

"You three, revert back." Shiisa ordered. "No one is going anywhere until the situation goes beyond Eiji's control. In the mean time, there are some explanations long overdue." He looked towards Setsuna as he said this.

"He will not be harmed?" She asked.

"There's more to that boy's story than I'm sure he's told you. Believe me, Eiji will do everything he can to bring him back and if he can't, we'll just have to step in and give a hand or two. Now, someone mind telling me why the heck a fourteen-year-old is giving me the heeby-jeebys?" He pointed at Hotaru, only to find her gone.

--

"CAST-ON!" A burst of neon light and Gojira was suddenly bedecked with a serpentine tail and a row of dorsal spines down his back. "CHANGE KAIJU OKAMI!"

"_Atomic Fire!_" Gojira's G-Force Cannon sent off another, more powerful, barrage of nuclear fire at Kishin, who rushed forward despite the impacts of the blasts. Biting back a curse, Gojira leapt to the side and dodged a holo-fist, his own holo-tail striking at Kishin's back, sending the armorless Rider stumbling off balance long enough for Gojira to land a harsh spin-kick to the back.

Kishin spun from the impact, his large holo-arms swinging and slapping Gojira away and into the canopy of the trees. The Black Rider managed to grab a hold of a particularly large tree branch and swing himself back down towards Kishin to try and land a fierce kick upon him but was blocked by the Berserker's holo-armas. Moving quickly, Gojira rebounded off the holographic limbs and rushed forward, his cannon at the fore and his holo-spines glowing brightly.

"_Atomic Beam!_" A thick stream of nuclear power burst forth from the cannon, plowing into Kishin with ten-times the force of a cannon-ball and plowing him through the forest, sending trees toppling like dominoes. Gojira waited, weapon primed and ready for another blast, until the cloud of debris was gone and there was no sign of Kishin.

'_Shit!_' Gojira ran forward following the Beserker's trail. '_Did I hit him too hard?_'

"_Kaiju Krusher!_" Obviously not as Kishin landed in front of him, with all four fists striking down upon the ground like hammers. A strong quake shook the earth beneath Gojira and nearly had him stumbling off his feet but he maintained his balance only to be punched away by Kishin. The force of the hit knocked the breath right out of him and imbedded his body into a tree. The armorless Rider screamed in victory and started towards him.

"We will kill you! We will kill you for what you've done to us!" Kishin screamed, his voice a strange distortion between human and… something else…

"Hrmph… Kid, I haven't had anything to do with what that madman did to you!" Gojira struggled to push himself free but his dorsal spines were wedged tight.

"LIES!" That was not the right thing to say as Kishin suddenly charged forward.

'_Damn._' Gojira raised his cannon. "Don't make me do this…" Not another child, he couldn't handle another child… But Kishin kept coming. "_Atomic Beam!_" A thick stream of nuclear flame burst out from Gojira's cannon as Kishin reached the halfway point. The attack could kill a human easily, even a Kamen Rider if it hit a particular weakspot in their armor, but with this one… perhaps it would be enough to slow him down at least.

That was when a monkey wrench was thrown into the equation. A monkey wrench by the name of Hotaru Tomoe.

--

They had assumed that she didn't remember anything and they would have been right to assume as such before but that was then and this was now. Even before she had visions, glimpses of her past with her birth father and… the darkness of Pharoah 90 and Mistress 9. Those last two haunted her dreams far too often in the past before a spark of light had entered her life with her new, adopted parents.

Hudson.

Here was someone who had a past just as dark as her's, with memories faint and nearly gone from his mind, and with no true friend to call his own. She reached out to him and he took her hand eagerly, both walking out of the darkness together. They were friends at first, one the teacher the other the student, but as time passed and the found equal ground with each other their relationship began to change.

During times where she felt most alone after a particularly grueling day at school, Hudson would suddenly be there, waiting for her amongst the shadows of the trees near the school, having come from the house to safely see her home. He didn't take kindly to anyone talking badly about her and often spoke quite vocally of her strength of character, something that had her blushing vibrantly each time. Now that he could read for himself, he found that he enjoyed books as much as she did and though he did not understand her liking for such things, he often spent his allowance on lamps for her.

_"It makes Hotaru-angel happy so Hudson is happy."_ He answered when she had asked him why he spent so little of his money on himself. For a time, she was scared of how much he cared about her and that night when he had said that she was more important than he was, that night where had began to call her his Tenshi-chan… she nearly cried…

It was by that time that most of her memories of her previous life had returned, memories of her dearest and first true friend Rini, her father before he had lost himself to madness and despair… when all she had in the world was her books and her lamps. She had thought that no one would ever care about her, not after her father had so blatantly been taken from her to be replaced by a madman. Rini had proven her wrong just as Hudson was doing now.

There were people who loved her and cared about her, and now it was time for Hudson to share in that experience.

At the first opportunity, Hotaru had managed to slip away from the others and had run after Hudson, pushing herself beyond what she could do and still going despite the evergrowing exhaustion and pain. She fell more often than she wanted to, cutting her palms on the unforgiving ground but she continued on to stop the battle she knew would have no victor.

She found them easily, the noise of destruction easy to hear and follow, and had seen more than enough.

So, with no hesitation in her steps, she ran forward between the two of them, heedless of the blast of power heading her way as she screamed for them to stop.

--

Kishin nearly stopped in his charge as his angel stepped between him and his tormentor but he didn't. If anything, he pressed himself to go faster than before, to get between her and the attack meant for him. Gojira himself had managed to finally push himself free of the now charred tree and was rushing forward, trying to absorb the radiation back into himself but the attack continued on until, finally, it came to striking range.

In that instant, between life and death, Hotaru Tomoe unlocked and opened the final door to her forgotten past and it that very moment she remembered who and what she was.

Saturn.

Soldier of Death, Destruction… and Rebirth.

And in that sheer instant, everything changed.

"Saturn Crystal Power!"

--

Gojira's attack exploded, blinding both Riders long enough for them to stop and stare in horror at where an innocent life had seemingly been destroyed. Gojira felt his guilt increase beyond bounds as Kishin's rage increased in magnitude. Had Kishin not been so desperately screaming that what he had just witnessed could not have been true, he would have easily killed the Black Rider for Gojira would not have tried to defend himself.

The smoke started to clear and hope suddenly began to blossom in both Riders for there, where Hotaru Tomoe once stood, was the shape of a living being. However, this being armed with a large glaive was not merely Hotaru Tomoe.

It was Sailor Saturn to the Super power.

She stood between Kishin and Gojira, or perhaps between Gojira and Kishin, looking down at her feet, her hair covering her eyes as she took large breaths of air, her Silence Wall taking a lot out of her as it was cast silently and amidst her transformation. It shouldn't have worked but it did and Saturn was quite grateful for it. She turned and slowly looked up to Kishin, who towered over her with his Cast-On System activated.

He was too shocked, too scared to move, frightened that if he moved the illusion would break and his angel would well and truly be dead. That illusion shattered as Saturn softly spoke his true name, "Hudson." Biting back a sob, his armored form shattered and what was once a berserker entitled Kamen Rider Kishin was now nothing more than a slightly extraordinary boy named Hudson. His knees shook slightly from exhaustion and Saturn wasted no time in hurrying to his side, her grasp on her Silence Glaive tight as she hugged Hudson tightly to her, both crying in relief.

"Angel… my angel…" Hudson whispered. "Don't ever die… please, I… Hudson couldn't… couldn't take it if you died…" He collapsed into exhaustion before she could make such a promise, slumping against her shoulder and nearly knocking her onto her back. He was heavier than she was but she held him up nonetheless.

Gojira silently reverted back to Eiji Kusanagi and slowly stepped up to the pair. He kneeled down next to her and looked first at the boy then at Saturn. "He loves you." It sounded like a question but it wasn't. "And you love him." Again, not a question. "Maybe, there's hope after all. Come on, let's take him back to the temple. I've got one long apology to make."

Saturn smiled as she reverted back to Hotaru, slumping in exhaustion but not quite unconscious either.

Eii stared for a moment before shaking his head with a sigh. '_I should have seen that coming…_'

--

It was in the country of Japan that the Kamen Riders were created, no one alive from that world could deny such a fact. Japan, the top country in all the world in the area of high-grade technology, was the elite in everything under the sun when it came to advancements in human culture. It needed to be what with nearly a century's worth of constant kaiju attacks upon its soil. However, as was stated before, it was not the only country in the world to be attacked nor was it lacking any form of rival.

America had its share of monsters though no where near the amount seen in Japan but what few it had were just as deadly, though not often so. Of course, there was only one such monster that ever came close to even match the Daikaiju Emperor but none of the others could be brushed aside easily. Through the years of peace after the end of the Age of Monsters, a sort of arms-race began between the two countries in the form of technological advancements, a race that was cut swiftly to a close before the finish line was even in sight.

The Crystal Incursion struck the earth and sent such trivial ideals away like ash on the wind as the need to protect their world from the extraterrestrial infection that was spreading across its surface, turning it into a literal hell. This protection came from a single man with a brilliant yet insane plan. A fan of the legendary heroes found in fiction's past, he proposed the idea of using the very powers they feared the most. The daikaiju themselves given the form of a battle armor system capable of withstanding and breaking the effects of the Crystal Incursion.

In the beginning, there were eight people who created the Kamen Riders. Of those eight only two remain alive with those dead having nothing to do with their world's death.

One had, having returned to his native British soil, fallen in battle, his land, his country, rising upwards into the depths of space where it was torn apart amongst the shower of Crystals. Three had turned traitor and were dealt with as such with one, Eiji's own father, being the executioner and dying with one of the traitors. The last was a madman who fled from Japan after stealing a vast portion of Raijin Kusanagi's blueprints and notes on the Kamen Rider systems, all incomplete and still in their earliest stages, as well as one of the Kaiju Spirit Stones. It could be considered poetic irony that the one kaiju he chose was the one and only true kaiju of America that was feared by all, even those in Japan, for its berserker-like ferocity.

United with those who felt similar ideals, he had started a program in what remained of America's armed forces entitled Project: Cloverfield. The man did not share in Raijin's ideals nor did he believe in allowing just anyone to simply take the power simply because the so called 'spirit of the kaiju' wished it. So driven was this man that in order to use his own son, he had killed his wife to keep her from stopping him, and right in front of said child no less. He had surgically placed the K-Zector atop his son's sternum, forcing an unholy union between man and monster that Raijin Kusanagi had been trying to avoid.

The man had gotten his wish.

He had indeed created the first Kamen Rider but, at the same time, he had created a monster.

The Cast-On System was constantly active and drained on the boy as it was used and being without armor, he had no protection from the instincts of the beast that gave him such abilities and so was more of a chimera between Rider and kaiju, a strange blend of the BioMerge System. The child had supposedly had gone mad from the procedure and experiments done upon him and so it was of little surprise that, on his first actual mission to wipe out the Crystal Incursion in New York City, he had turned against his father and had created a chain reaction amongst the Crystals that wiped out the entire northeastern sector of the United States.

It was decided that nothing could have survived the explosion.

--

"Obviously, we were wrong…" whispered Eiji.

The group was now sitting about the large living room of Rei's temple, the wall fixed thanks in no small part to temporal physics via Setsuna. The group had waited with increasing anxiety until, finally, Eiji appeared from the woodlands with an unconscious Hudson in his arms and an exhausted Hotaru on his back, blushing brightly as he whispered something to her that, had he been awake, would have had Hudson blushing as well.

Now, they were here, explainations done and over on both sides and a brand new story having just been told and finished amongst them.

"My…… Hudson's father… did this to him?" The boy pressed a hand over his sternum, feeling the slight groove where the K-Zector was imbedded beneath his flesh.

"He did. When my father found out his blueprints had been copied and nearly destroyed, he had tried to stop your father but by then, he had already fleed to America, which was hit the worst by the Crystal Incursion." Eiji explained. "He wanted to create a… contingency plan in the likelihood that my father's designs couldn't cut it."

"The treatments… the pains…"

"Were to make you strong enough to outlast anything the Crystals could throw at you, to make you more like the creature sealed in your Zector than what should be." Eiji waved an arm at each of the Riders. "We all have abilities thanks to the K-Zectors, an extra gene known as the M-base which takes after our respected kaiju somewhat. Your father thought that he could force the gene to grow and 'enhance' you further. In a twisted way, I think he was trying to make it so that nothing could truly hurt you. Too bad he had to be the one to do it…" Hudson remained silent, his hand clasped tightly around Hotaru's.

"How did I—How did Hudson, get here then? He was not with you…"

"Likely the explosion you caused in New York was on par with the one that sent us here," answered Shiro. 'The timing though… he should be the same age as I but he isn't… The gods do work in mysterious ways but really… is there something bigger than us pulling the strings?'

"Regardless of how you came here," said Eiji. "It remains that you can never use your K-Zector. If you do, there's no guarantee that your kaiju will not take control over you and activate the BioMerge System. I should kill you just to guarantee that never happens." He closed his eyes, not missing the intense feminine anger aimed towards him from that remark. "But you are as innocent as one can be in this situation, and I know you care too much about your… family… to always sit on the sidelines and watch as they put their lives on the line… so I'll amend my order.

"Do not activate your K-Zector unless she," he pointed at Hotaru, "is present and already transformed. Out of all of us, I'm sure she can talk the most sense into you should you go completely berserk." Eiji closed his eyes. The fight wasn't long but he wasn't used to feeling so many emotions at once and his control was slipping somewhat. It'd take a few more days to get his control back to standard.

"… Why…?"

"Hrmm?" Eiji opened one eye to see the confusion he felt from the younger boy.

"Why… would you let me live?" whispered Hudson.

"… Father said this, 'There are times when you have to be lost before you can find a new road'. You were lost and now, you've been found." Eiji suddenly smiled, "Besides, your eyes give voice to the love in your heart. What kind of protector of, ahem, 'love and justice' would destroy such love?"

The two lovebirds in question blushed vividly amongst the teasing looks they were receiving while Eiji ignored the smugness he was feeling from his girlfriend. So he was getting sentimental, so what? Times were, at long last, well and truly peaceful amongst the Kamen Riders and Sailor Scouts.

How wrong he was.

--

It appeared where three travelers had appeared once before. One, a traveler through the fabrics of time, the other two across the planes of the dimensional seas. This was a thing of both circumstances and it fell through the air with the sudden feeling of gravity pulling it down to land first upon the sidewalk before being kicked away to fall through a sewer grate and land amidst the sludge. Its glow pulsed like a heartbeat as it sank slowly into the black sludge.

Its master had ordered it to find the Original; to find those called the Kamen Riders. Once it did, it was to destroy itself so that the Creator could follow it to this world.

It had no such intention of doing anything of the sort.

The Creator had made it to possess sentience, to be as self-aware as any creature gifted with a higher-sense of function in the brain, though it had no such organics. The Creator had gifted it with the basic needs of life to better assume its mission than some useless drone that sooner get itself killed because it was too idiotic to keep itself alive.

The Creator had done a good job.

Too good of a job.

The Crystal shard was completely immersed in the sludge, which began to stretch and contort before forming a vauge shape like that of a tadpole, which flopped along the ground of the tunnel before landing in the current of sewage water. It let the current carry it for now, resting its strength until sustenance was in sight. Oh yes, it would search out this Original, perhaps even the Kamen Riders, and destroy them for its Creator but first, there was one undeniable fact that needed to be clarified.

Hedorah was hungry.

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_Morisato: _Aah, it's good to finally have some peace and quiet, neh Aniki? We got our M-base back and the girls of our dreams, life couldn't get any better than this… Huh, that's odd… The news been talking about strange chemical leaks at a lot of energy plants, specially those that heavily pollute the area. Mind sharing that data, Ami? My K-Zector is reacting to something… It's… oh my god…

The Next Stage of Evolution?! Hedorah, the Black Death, Appears!

* * *

A/N: In case it wasn't already obvious. Yes, Kamen Rider Kishin's daikaiju is the Cloverfield monster. Why then, the name Kishin? It's the name of the manga as well as it translates to "Fierce God". A much better name than "Clover" if you ask me. NEway, for those dying of curiousity, here's the stats of the two newest Kamen Riders, Kishin and Caesar!

* * *

KISHIN

Kishin's armor is his life-support and his curse all at the same time. Being one of the first Kamen Rider armor to be created, Kishin's has one potentially fatal flaw. Kishin's armor automatically activates the Cast-On System when it appears and slowly "bleeds" the personality of the kaiju within onto the Rider's psyche and can eventually lead to the activate of the BioMerge System. The red sacs at the base of the neck are a secondary set of lungs that help Hudson and prevents him from going into lung failure as well as allow him to breathe underwater. As strange as it sounds, the fact that most of Kishin's "armor" is missing, leaving only the helmet, boots, and leatherlike bodysuit, Kishin is by no means defenseless. In fact, the durability of the bodysuit exceeds that of any Rider's and is on par with basic Kamen Rider armor.

ATTACKS

Kaiju Krusher – Kishin uses his holo-arms and slams the palms together to either create a concussive wave of air or to smash his enemy into pancakes. The force of the blow is enough to shatter steel.

Berserker Charge – Not so much an attack as a state of mind. Kishin loses control and surrenders to the monster within his armor and acts like a maddened beast, unable to understand friend from foe.

CAESAR

Caesar's armor allows him all the extreme senses of a canine and a strange form of durability to nearly match Anguirus. While the tail-like attachment is rather odd, it does greatly benefit Caesar in maintaining his balance on two legs or when he goes on all fours with his COS activated. His visor is made of a special kind of reflective glass that absorbs beams of energy and shoots them right back at the attacker, if Caesar so chooses. The energy is also changed into solar radiation during the absorption and returned as such. During the day, Caesar's armor gives him more power with the sun's light while it is weaker at night, especially without a full moon.

ATTACKS

Solar Hunter/Hunter's Moon – Caesar leaps into the air and, gathering energy from the sun or moon, does a high jump kick down upon his opponent. Slightly stronger than a "Rider Kick".

Wolf's Strike – A punch attack delivered in whatever fashion Caesar likes. Slightly weaker than a "Rider Kick".

Return of the King! – An energy attack in the shape of King Caesar's head. Can be delivered via punch or kick but requires a large amount of absorbed energy. A COS required attack.


	27. Hedorah, the Black Death, Appears!

Me: Yo, another update and the introduction to the Kamen Rider Daikaiju theme song!

Mewtwo: Not too original though.

Me: Hey, it fits it well don't you think? And I do borrow a few elements from that show.

Bahamut: More from Kamen Rider Kabuto though.

Me: Heh, heh... True.

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

* * *

Daikaiju!

Look to the past

As we head for the future

To reclaim our newfound world

With faith in ourselves

And trust in each other

We live by the lessons we've learned

As we work towards one solution

Through a Spirit Evolution!

Ha-ya-moo-ah! Huh!

Ha-ya-moo-ah!

Daikaiju!

Forever united as one

Daikaiju!

Together the battles are won

Daikaiju!

Through use let your spirit evolve

If we're all for one world

There's a world for us all!

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

The Next Stage of Evolution?! Hedorah, the Black Death, Appears!

Life was so freaking awesome!

Why was it so freaking awesome?

Well, imagine if you would that you could control the winds to such a fine degree that, given the right type of clothes, you could actually fly. Now imagine this control slowly dying until you could consider it pure luck that you managed to make a breeze strong enough to push a leaf along the ground.

Imagine suddenly gaining that control back with assets.

Would you really pass up the first chance you got to fly like a demented eagle through the city with nothing holding you up but the very winds that were your friends, your allies, and everything inbetween?

I don't think so.

Takuya was acting like a childish idiot, as he would say, but like he truly cared at the moment. He was pushing it by flying around Juuban's skyscrapers but even he wasn't foolish enough to go flying around without hiding his identity. Black goggles covered his eyes and a trailing red scarf hid the bottom of his face from view as his large but extremely lightweight trenchcoat served as his wings to fly through the air like a hawk.

This was his fifth time flying like this but damn, the rush just never got old! If anything, he was even antsier than before and needed some adrenaline relief. However, there were no Remless to behead anymore and Takuya didn't feel up to competing with Kusanagi at sparring as the boy was out training not one but three young apprentices in his family's martial arts style. Takuya still didn't trust the gaijin brat but hell, if Kusanagi could handle him then more power to him.

He had other things to worry about.

Like beating more of a certain crossdressing weirdo's records at video game racing and maintain the status quo of being the Soldier of Flight!

--

Some could say he was mad and Morisato would readily agree with them but really what better way to test one's explosives than on one's self? Oh yes, he wasn't stupid enough to not use some form of protection but with his M-base power back it was entirely too enticing a chance to simply sit back and watch his various experimental bombs explode while not exercising both his ability to project force fields but maintain his constant state of equilibrium as well.

Balancing beam, rafter, corner of his lab table… there wasn't an area in all his lab that he didn't balance himself on as he pushed his limits of control as he created and held multiple force fields at once. So far, his limit was four, five if the explosions were on par with a cherry bomb, just as he remembered. Still, he didn't escape completely as his clothes were terribly singed and his goggles and earmuff were covered in soot.

Deciding to take a long and relaxing soak in the tub, Morisato left his decimated lab and headed back upstairs, leaving a trail of sooty footprints in his wake. Perhaps after his body was clear of the soot that made him entirely black from head to toe, he'd go out and try to find Ami, who had been busy preparing for their oncoming year at senior high. He grinned at the thought of getting her to relax via a swim at the local pool and showing off those marvelous legs of her's.

--

Many of the visitors of the temple found it odd that a practitioner was wearing sunglasses but then again, they'd find it odder to see the practitioner's eyes glowing with molten light as he Saw their Aura and the Mana of the earth, making subtle manipulations every now and again to better allow the energy to flow around the holy grounds. Shiro was not one to play with his gifts but even he had to admit that he had missed seeing the world in a way that only the spiritual aware could barely fathom.

With so many hopes, dreams, and prayers spoken and expressed in this temple it wasn't hard or necessary to keep track of the Mana surrounding it. Though she was unaware of it, Rei had done a far better job than anyone else could have done and what with Chad having left the temple to 'find his inner peace', the troublesome emotional waves he created were dissipating easily.

One should never enter a temple merely to win over the priestess, bad juujuu that.

"Shiro-kun! Could you help me over here, please?" Rei called from where another large crowd had gathered for the ever popular charms the temple was famous for. With the next school year starting soon, many students were buying charms to better increase their luck at better grades, and love as the case sometimes was.

Shiro smiled as he wrapped up his sweeping and hurrying over to help Rei with the bustling crowd but stopped suddenly. He looked over his shoulder towards the city. Was it his imagination… or was that—

"SHIRO!"

"Ah, coming Lady Rei!"

--

One could not say that Eiji was one for egotistical comments but even he had to agree that it was pretty damn good to be him at the moment. He had an absolutely wonderful girlfriend who could not only cook like a Frenchwoman of the culinary arts, but she could and would kick his ass if given the proper provocation. She was an artist in so many ways that it astounded him how easily she balanced between being a homemaker and a warrior, something that he envied really though not at the moment.

Right now they were both busy watching their mutual students meditating in his home's dojo, ignoring the heavily muffled explosions from below that signaled Morisato's 'experiments'. It was true that he had trained Lita for a time but her progress was too great to call her a student of his. Rather, she was a fellow practioner with her own style of martial arts that was a decent blend of his own and what styles she had learned already. It was because of how well she excelled that she was here now lying against his shoulder, tired from their recent sparring match which ended as him being the victor.

Again.

Still, she wasn't tired enough, or perhaps deep enough into sleep, not to tease him. leaning as she was against him, her impressive talents were letting him know just how impressive they were as her lips softly chewed on a locket of his hair, mumbling promises that had Eiji's blood pumping in two different directions. Despite the waves of emotion he was receiving from Lita, he could still sense the states of his students and reprimanded them as such.

A trio of chestnuts from the bowl in his lap impacted on their heads, earning a sharp twitch from all three. "Rocks don't feel amused." He chastised the two girls. Really, what was it with girls, especially ones as young as Rini and Hotaru, that they found every romantic thing they saw so amusing to watch? To Hudson he said, "And they don't sleep either."

He could feel Lita's amusement but decided to allow her to continue teasing. Not only did it make excellent blackmail material but… well, would you want the soul of your heart to stop? I don't think so. '_Hrrmmm, I'll make good on that promise…_' Eiji inwardly grinned, his face flushed as Lita continued her supposedly sleep-driven whisperings.

--

Midoriko sighed tiredly and rubbed her eyes, turning away from the computer screen for a moment. She couldn't believe how often Eiji and the others exploited every loophole they could find in her vow. Rather, she couldn't believe how she let them get away with it… Still… She looked at the monitor which displayed all the medical information on Hudson and Hotaru. The two had great power, second only to the strongest of their two groups respectively. Hudson was the Beserker of the Kamen Riders and Hotaru was the Sailor Scout of Death and Destruction. Both had been feared for their infamously great power but now… pity seemed the predominant emotion in them.

Hudson's lungs were all but useless despite Hotaru's unique ability to heal and his recent transformation hadn't helped any. He would be lucky to live beyond his early thirties at this rate. Hotaru wasn't much better and Midoriko couldn't figure out why. Whenever she did any form of physical feat, i.e. running or even playing, she'd experience some form of seizure that'd leave her in intense pain until her exhaustion was gone. Despite this, her body was in great shape, her abilities as Saturn probably influencing it to be in top condition despite the seizures.

"But why," she whispered. "Hasn't it destroyed whatever is causing the seizures?"

'_Better yet… why won't my magic destroy it?_'

Her powers had returned like the rest of her adopted family but, unlike them, she found no reason to use them save for the care of the two children cursed with a burden too great for anyone to bear. That fact that she, a Mage of White Magic, could do nothing… was almost too much for one such as her, a healer from the very beginning. Memories of her past, of her brother, taunted her. She hadn't been able to save him from himself… She'd not allow herself to fail these children too!

--

One would not think that nirvana could be reached by taking a stroll through a flower shop or two but then, one would not have the advanced senses of a canine-like kaiju on their side now would they? Yes, sometimes it was the simple things in life that made it most pleasing for Shiisa, especially now that he had his M-base reactivated with a gutso. Still, there was some things he didn't miss and that was getting a faceful of whatever sprays and smells humans came up with to completely warp their natural scents.

That was one thing he appreciated most about Setsuna, she knew what perfumes that accented her beauty more than mask it or distort it. Setsuna… things had been… distant at first. The two of them were old, far older than what they appeared and though Shiisa had seen many terrible things in his lifetime, Setsuna had seen enough to last several more. He felt… ashamed to have been so high and mighty when he first found out about her being Sailor Pluto. He had known she was the Senshi of Time but to have such mastery of it as to be a timeless being…

Then again…

Wasn't he timeless as well? Like his fellow Riders, Shiisa's M-base was two-fold. One of course being the advanced senses of a canine without any drawbacks and the other being a… well, one could call it unique way of living.

He was immortal.

Not just immortal, he was permanately stuck in the age he was when he first donned the K-Zector of the ancient King Caesar. Personally, he was thankful that puberty had ended for him when he accepted it from Raijin. Shiisa did not even dare to imagine spending eternity as a hormonal teenager. Not that you wouldn't find him howling at the moon on occasion, but still, he considered himself lucky. It was why he was hesitant with Setsuna as she did appear to be in her early twenties while he was in fact in his late thirties, near early forties.

He blamed irony on the fact that not only was she in fact the elder, but she was the elder by several thousand years.

Really, what the heck was up with that?

Shiisa didn't know if there really was a deity of irony, but if there was, he was sure it was laughing its ass off at him.

He twitched suddenly, his nostrils flaring, eyes wide and pupils shrinking as a stench of unprecinted foulness reached his nose. Clasping it shut lest he faint, Shiisa uttered a few choices words to express the disgustingness of the smell before his eyes fell upon the flowers in the shop.

They were wilting.

'_What the…? Is it a youma?_'

--

No.

It was something worse than a youma.

Far worse.

--

"_**Fooood… Something to eat… I'M HUNGRY!**_" That was the only warning the workers of Juuban's sole chemical plant before vile, black sludge gushed upwards from the drains, sliding upwards across walls and support beams until it reached the ceiling which it melted away with ease. Workers screamed and fled for their lives as those unfortunate enough to lag behind succumb to the noxious smoke the creature breathed out from the steel pipes imbedded in its back. They'd not live long but until they died, they'd feel the agony as their lungs were melted from the inside until all that was left of them and the rest of their internal organs were nothing but soup.

The black sludge compacted tightly, forming a strange blend between man and reptile as it crawled forward slowly on all fours before suddenly leaping upwards and landing atop the plant's smokestack. Its blazing yellow eyes gleamed with unnatural hunger as a gaping hole opened where its mouth would be. It drank the smoke like one would from a straw, making pleased grumbles as its hunger was at last abated.

For now.

--

"Oh hells yeah, that is how you Gran-freaking-Turismo!" Takuya crowed with delight. He had managed to place his initials of choice, R-D-N if you must know, over Haruka's, H-R-K, thus earning him the top ten of every racing game in the Crown Arcade. Oh sure, she'd probably break them eventually but, by then, he'd have wiped the floor with her on the real playing field.

Not that he was looking forward to a confrontation between himself and the "Soldier of Flight".

No, sir.

Feeling more than slightly victiorious at his winnings, Takuya had left the arcade and walked down a shadowed alley. A few minutes, and one unconscious idiot who thought he'd make a quick buck, later and Takuya was airborne and heading for home when he saw the smoke coming from the chemical plant at the edge of town. It wasn't an odd sight. having seen it often despite his hatred of the idea that someone was polluting the air he was the master of.

No, it was the flocks of birds that were falling from the sky if they came so much as a block distance of the smoke. Takuya landed on the roof of a skyscraper, his eyes changing to reptilian slits as he saw…

"What the FU—"

--

Morisato had just finished get dressed when his cell-phone rang. He looked to it eagerly but sighed in disappointment when he read Takuya's name. He frowned thoughtfully; Takuya never called him. Heck, he made it a point to never call him and leave it to someone else… He picked up the cell. "Tak-kun? Did Hell freeze over, because you—"

_"Shut it, Akichi. Look, are you near your laptop?"_ Morisato blinked in surprise and glanced down at his laptop, currently in hibernation on his desk.

"Yes… Why?"

_"Look, I need you to look up something for me."_

Morisato grinned. "It's not porn is it? Cause I'm sure Mina is quite willing to pose—"

_"SHUT UP! Look, this is a damn emergency situation here! I need you to look up the D-Files!"_

"The D-Files?" Otherwise known as the Daikaiju Files. It contained every known fact about all the kaiju of their world from the first to the last, even those who died or were destroyed before the Sealing. Why would Takuya…? No, better not to ask. He sat down at his desk and activated his laptop. "Okay… which one?"

_"Shit, I don't know… The black one!"_

Morisato paused and sat back on his chair. "The black one… do you have any idea how vauge that is? Can't you be more specific, Tak-kun?"

_"I told you I don't know what the damn thing is called! Smog something or other?"_

"Smog? You mean Deathla?"

_"Deathla smleshla! Just look up the damn thing!"_

"Alright, alright…" Morisato sighed. Really, such anger was unbecoming a head of a samurai clan. He typed in the name and brought up the file. "Okay, I have it. What do you want to know about it?"

_"What is it? What could it do?"_

Morisato sighed. "Tak-kun, if you're wasting my cellphone time because you suddenly gained a sense of curiousity…" He shook his head. "Alright let me see here… able to shift into three different forms… aquatic, flying and combat… can absorb any material into its mass but seeks out highly concentrated areas of pollution to—"

_"Feed. Shit!"_ The sound of air passing quickly by alerted Morisato to the fact that Takuya was now flying. "_Get everyone to the Crown Plaza right now, Morisato!_"

"Tak-kun… What's going on?"

_"Oh nothing major, I just happened to see this world's analog to Deathla that's all!"_

--

"Takuya!" The ponytailed boy stiffened and he turned slowly to see not only the other Riders but the majority of the Sailor Scouts, including the cross-dressing weirdo.

"What the hell are they doing here!?" he exclaimed, pointing more at Haruka and Michiru lest he hurt Mina's feelings.

"They insisted on tagging along." Eiji muttered. They as in everyone present when Morisato called them with those that weren't called soon after. "They wouldn't take no for an answer. So, is it true?"

"Look yonder and see for yourself, Kusanagi." Takuya snapped. Damn it, this was the very situation he had been trying to avoid! The Scouts were equipped to deal with something like this!

"Yashima…" Shiro shook his head, deciding not to bother. He wasn't happy with the situation either, but there was no need to take it out on everyone.

"Yes, it is. It ain't the same thing obviously since the damn thing is so puny in comparison," said Takuya. "It probably has the same weaknesses too."

"If it's the same manner of creature than it should," agreed Eiji. He turned to look back at the girls. "Okay, I'm going to be blunt about this. None of you have any experience with this thing and frankly, neither do we, but we have knowledge on our side. As father said, 'Smart beats strong every time'. We know Deathla's weaknesses and we're going to exploit them to the fullest while limiting ourselves to what we can and can't do. Any questions?"

"I got one!" Serena raised her hand, earning a sweatdrop from the boys.

"Yes?"

"What's a Deathla?"

The sweatdrops nearly doubled in size. Eiji looked to Morisato and waved for him to fill them in.

"Okay, Deathla is, or rather was, a kaiju from our world, one that was many believed to be the next stage of evolution as it was a creature that was composed of, and consumed, pollution. It can change its form to suit its needs and is far too dangerous for any of you to go near."

"Why?" asked Rei. "Will we get lung cancer or something?" She asked jokingly, giggling a little but soon trailed off at the serious looks she was getting from the Riders.

"If you're lucky enough to survive." Eiji stated. "Look, this thing was a living, walking pile of pollution and had all the dangers of it. Its body was highly acidic and poisonous and it could literally breathe out sulfuric acid strong enough to melt the flesh right off a person's bones." The girls paled at that.

"And you think this thing has the same abilities?" asked Haruka, who received a firm nod. "Shi—…taka mushrooms…" Oh, she'd ignore the giggling for now, but just wait until the children were out of hearing range.

"You said this thing has weaknesses." Michiru said. "Just what are they?"

"Dehydration for the most part. If we dry up its body, it should technically die."

"Technically?" Mina did not like the sound of that.

"We're a bit unprepared here." Morisato stated. "I mean, it took a giant microwave to toast the thing back in our world."

"Which is why we're playing this by powers alone." Eiji stated, looking at Mina, Haruka, and Michiru. "You three will be in charge of evacuating the civilians. We might be able to withstand the poison but ordinary people can't."

"Why can't—" Haruka started to argue when Eiji cut her off.

"Look, Mina's attacks specialize in slicing and your's involve blowing shit up, which is a big no-no with this thing. Blowing it to pieces means more pieces to try and destroy before it reforms itself. Michiru's attacks are entirely water based and might end up healing Hedorah as we are trying to dry it out." He looked at Ami. "Your attacks might do the same but seeing as they focus more on ice it might not hurt it but it will slow Hedorah down. You need to act as a sniper of sorts, striking it if looks like we can't dodge it. If you can, try to analyze the thing and fight out if there's a faster way to kill it."

He shared a brief eye-exchange with Shiro before looking between Rei and Lita. "As much as I wish it wasn't so, you two are the ones most suited to killing this thing but that doesn't mean I want either of you up close and personal with it either. Rei, I'll need you to mimic Ami's task as sniper and Lita… I'll need you to do the same." Their eyes spoke what they couldn't say.

Stay safe…

"Right." The two nodded.

"Um… Ryu-sensei?" Hotaru whispered, raising her hand. Eiji suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. He wasn't a dragon! "What shall we do?" Eiji looked to who was left. Serena, Rini, Hotaru… and Hudson. He sighed, not wanting to really tell them as they were children, or in Serena's case, childish.

"Deathla is a serious threat, too serious to be taken lightly if we should fail and it attempts to seek out more pollution to feed on. If it comes down to that," he looked straight at the Moon Duo, "it'll be up to you two to try and finish it off. I don't know if your attack will work on something that isn't a Remless, but by that point, we've probably not got much else to lose."

He walked over and knelt down in front of Hotaru and Hudson. "Look, I know you two are strong, probably stronger than I'm willing to acknowledge but you two are also the worst possible match-up against Deathla. Just being near it is dangerous for us but for the two of you… I'm not willing to take that chance. Like it or not you two are my responsibility as my students, and as your sensei I'm ordering you to wait until there's no chance that any of us can stop it. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Ryu-sensei…" the two younglings mumbled.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" he suddenly roared, causing the two to jump in surprise.

"Yes, Ryu-sensei!" They saluted. Eiji smirked, oh yeah, they were definitely quick-learners.

"Right!" Eiji nodded and stood. "Stick to the plan and we can get through this with no casualties! Execute!"

"Execute!" Shiro, Morisato, and Takuya mimicked their leader, grabbing their own K-Zectors.

"Kaiju Spirit Evolution!"

--

Hedorah was pleased, remarkably pleased by how deliciously noxious the smoke was. It even had a free show of watching what pitiful creatures that were fool enough to come near it fall from the sky to land on the little solids down below. Sentiency was something truly blessed, indeed. For now, it had reached its fill and Hedorah was prepared to, at last, search for the ones the Creator made it to find.

"Flaming Barrage!" Hedorah made a confused gurgle as it turned its slime-covered head to look over its shoulder before a literal barrage of fireballs slammed into it, knocking it off the smokestack and careening towards the streets, which were now oddly deserted. Squealing in pain, Hedorah flung away the pieces that were aflame and watched as they burned into dust. Gurgling quite angrily now, it tried to find.

Then it saw.

'_The Original…_' Hedorah burbled with pleasure. The Creator was right to send it here after all!

Gojira raised his cannon to bear, frowning beneath his helmet. This Deathla-analog wasn't acting as he expected it to be. '_Hmm… I wonder… well it is human-sized so maybe…_'

"You, Deathla!" Hedorah blinked and tilted its head in confusion. What being deserved to be called such a mediocrity as that? Surely not itself! "I'm only going to ask this once, will you surrender or will we have to use force?"

"Commander, what the hell are you doing?" Rodan's voice crackled in Gojira's headset. "That thing ain't gonna just up and—"

"**_It is called Hedorah._**" The humanoid sludge gurgled, its voice echoing, the pipes on its back clanging from the vibration.

The Riders stiffened and though surprised, Gojira amended his statement. If this thing was that sentient… "Hedorah then. The question remains, will you surrender?"

"**_… You are noisy…_**" It gurgled. "**_It does not understand why it must kill you…_**" Gojira's eyes narrowed. This thing was ordered to kill him? "**_Still… it likes it here… so why not just…_**" Hedorah suddenly raised its arms, whiched stretched forward and took a firm grip on Gojira's neck, choking and burning him at the same time. "**_DIE!_**"

"_Mars Flame Sniper!_" An arrow composed of tightly bound flames shot through the air and sliced Hedorah's arms right down the middle, turning a good portions of the stumps into ashen dust. Hedorah's screech was near earsplitting as its arms detached themselves from Gojira and moved fluidly across the ground to reform themselves upon him.

Gojira rubbed his throat, his HUD alerting him that his armor wasn't too badly damaged but a few moments longer and the acid would have reached his neck. Remarkable healing or not, Gojira wasn't going to go looking for the opportunity to heal himself from a melted throat.

Hedorah turned its ugly head to look upwards and saw for itself two solids, those fleshy things that had been so amusing to it before. Gurgling in rage, it melted itself into a saucerlike shape and shot upwards with an explosion of noxious gas. It didn't get far when another flying saucer fired down upon it from above with a barrage of plasma fireballs. Hedorah turned itself into a liquid mass and dodged the attack, still climbing when it suddenly slammed into a translucent field of orange-colored energy.

Anguirus held out his hand, frowning beneath his helmet, before slashing his arm through the air, slamming the smog monster back into the ground. Gamera hovered beside him where he stood beside the Scouts-turned-snipers and flashed him a thumbs-up before zooming back down and landing on the street, cancelling out his Cast-On.

Nodding to each other, the two Riders primed their weapons and fired a quick assault of "_Atomic Fire!_" and "_Flaming Barrage!_" More screeching came from the small pit before silence suddenly began to reign, accompanied only by the sound of fire roasting toxic waste.

Gamera nodded in satisfaction, it might not be dead but it wouldn't be getting up quickly after an assault like that. He turned his head to look at his friend. "Are you alright, Little Brother?" he asked Gojira, who nodded.

"I'll live." He grunted. He pressed a pair of fingers to his mouth guard. "Everyone ready to finish this?"

"Ready and able, Boss." Anguirus' voice replied.

"Let's just hurry and wrap this thing up I've got—Oy, what is it? Yeah, yeah, send it to Anguirus then. Like I can read any of that techno crap!" Rodan appeared to be having a conversation with Sailor Mercury, who he was standing guard over as Anguirus was for Mars and Jupiter.

"Go ahead, Mercury." Anguirus had been working on connecting his helmet's systems to her Mercury computer and, thus far, had managed to create a wireless connection between the two. "Okay I got it, what is that you…… BOSS, GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE RIGHT NOW!"

"What is it, Anguirus?" Gojira and Gamera were already pulling back. Having known Anguirus as long as they had, they trusted his judgment first and questioned it later.

"IT'S A CRYSTAL!"

Gojira stopped dead in his tracks. "What?"

"**_That… hurt…_**" Hedorah suddenly burst up from the crater, twice as large as before having consumed the destruction it impact had caused and adding the materials to its body. Its forehead pulsed before a shimmering crystal shard appeared, shaped like a triangular cross. Hedorah's eyes glowed brightly, its form surrounded by a sickly purple aura.

"Crystal surge…" whispered Gojira. His visor suddenly began to glow crimson as he gripped his K-Zector. "Cast-On!"

"CAST-ON! CHANGE KAIJU OKAMI!" Given access to more of his power, Gojira brought up his G-Force Cannon, his holo-spines glowing brightly.

"Destroy that shard!" he ordered before firing his attack. "_Atomic Beam!_" The beam of concentrated radiation burst from his weapon with an explosion of light and zoomed into towards the towering Hedorah. It wasn't alone either.

"_Mars Flame Sniper!_"

"_Sparkling Wide Pressure!_"

"_Flaming Barrage!_"

Flames of varying intensity and bolts of lightning joined the nuclear flames and drew close to strike at Hedorah, who just stood there, letting the attacks close in upon it. The crystal shard atop its forehead suddenly glowed brightly and the dark aura around its body intensified just as the attacks were about to hit. Time seemed to freeze but that wasn't the case, no it was the attacks themselves that were frozen in midair before suddenly being shot back to their origins. Gojira and Gamera both rolled to the side of the street to dodge their attacks while Anguirus had to put every ounce of his power into his shields to protect Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter.

Those that were told to keep back stepped forward out of their hidden posts either on the building tops or in the darkness of the alleyways. Hedorah twisted its head around slowly, looking at them each in turn, amused that it would do as it wanted so easily. These Riders and… it supposed Riders-in-training… were coming to it like sheep to the—

It stopped dead in its tracks, not a single drop of sludge in its vile body moving a hair's width in deep unadulterated fear as something quite impossible had occurred. There, it could see not just one but… No! It was impossible! How could this happen!? Hedorah didn't know, all he knew was that it had to flee if it wanted to continue its existence. Converging upon itself, it started to form its saucerlike shape when power after power fell upon it one after the other, instigating a whole new comprehension of the world of agony.

Burns from flames as hot, or even hotter, than magma burned it, lightning electrocuted its control, making it lose control of its shape while saltwater only added to the effect. Ice hardened its limbs and slowed downs its movements as beams of light and concentrated attacks from the very winds pierced it, cut it, dissected it into pieces before, finally, the end came from the only one amongst them truly capable of killing it in one swift blow.

"_Moon Gorgeous… Meditation!_" Shards of glass, neh, crystal powers zoomed through the air, each piece tearing away a portion of Hedorah's existence until all that was left was its deathscream echoing in the emptiness of the city street while the Crystal Shard that gave it life clattered noisily to the ground only to be crushed by the unforgiving boot of the Black Rider, Gojira.

His sensors had reacted once the Crystal Shard had appeared from its hiding place with Hedorah and it had pushed him into a mindset he had almost blessedly forgotten. He stepped back and saw the faint particles blow away into the wind and relaxed knowing that no further harm could come from that Crystal. Still, the question remained… where had it come from in the first place… better yet…

Would more follow in its wake?

--

'_How… interesting…_' Fanged teeth were displayed in an outright grin of deep pleasure. '_How very interesting…_' This could not work out any better now could it? No, it probably couldn't much better than— Wait… Oh yesssss… Good fortune was truly being placed in a golden chest for this, this was beyond what he could even dream!

A pulse of energy swept through the void and brought to him his servants. They kneeled instantly, knowing better than to hesitate, none speaking a word.

"It is time." Crystals began to sprout from nothingness, surrounded the group before the Creator of the Crystals. "Go and… play… for now. But remember that if you cross me," The Crystal Shards shot straight into the necks of all but three of the assembled, earning screams of agony as the shards dug themselves deep into their spines. "I will make your death last longer than eternity. Now, go and remember what must be done."

The portal appeared slowly with a mighty surge of crystalline energy and, after stumbling to their feet, they left save for two of the three sparred from the Creator's promise. He gazed at them for a moment before silently nodding his head. The two nodded and bowed low before walking after the group.

He sat back on his throne and steepled his hands. He knew that it would be some time before his minions could enact the final plan, but he had the time to wait. It would be a while before the proper circumstances would meet and besides… a crystalline window grew before his gleaming red eyes, reflecting his fanged grin. This would be quite amusing to watch…

Kamen Riders versus Kamen Riders.

A smirk in the darkness. "Place your bets."

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_Eiji: _Love seems to be in the air on this day of days, Japan's White Day… Personally, I think I've gotten my beloved a perfect gift but I can't say that the others aren't trying either. Even Takuya, the former misogynist of our ragtag family, has gotten into the act. But will Takuya's old ways return when someone steps back into his life, bringing back old hatreds and uncomparable rage?

Something New & Something Old; Return of the Mach Queen!

* * *


	28. Return of the Mach Queen!

Me: You know... you guys remind me of the babe.

Muses: (Confused) What babe?

Me: The babe with the power.

Bahamut: What power?

Me: The power of voodoo.

Poupoko: (Who do?)

Me: You do.

Mewtwo: (Slightly irked) Do what?!

Me: Remind me of the babe!

Bahamut: ... We walked right into that didn't we?

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

Something New & Something Old; Return of the Mach Queen!

This was absolute perfection! It just had to be after spending more time than he wanted in the kitchen using appliances and devices that, despite appearances, Morisato was not well equipped in dealing with. Sure, he could charm anyone of the opposite sex but when it came to one that he actually liked and one who was as shy as one could possibly be about showing their emotions… Well, that's where he'd hit a snag. Oh yes, they had their brief bursts of romance but Morisato really wanted to sweep her off her feet and… well… maybe make a promise of his own…

He'd been given a kind of green light last month on St. Valentine's Day via Ami's deliciously made and deliciously tasting sugar cookies. They say a way to a man's heart is through his stomach, in Morisato's case, it's anything containing vast amounts of sugar.

So here he was finishing his own homemade batch that turned out better than the last, which really wasn't saying much as the last batch was… Okay, it needed to be put down and fast but hey, it was his first time using such, such low tech! Who'd expect him to do better?

"Water Sprite would…" he muttered to himself. He hadn't called her such to her face in a long time, too afraid to push back whatever progress he had made, completely oblivious to the fact that she secretly enjoyed being called as such. Tossing the current failed batch of cookies away into a rather full garbage can, Morisato double checked the recipe book and smacked his head.

"Oh, its two teaspoons, not tablespoons… now, what the heck is a teaspoon?"

Technical genius, yes. Culinary artist? I think not.

--

Oh yeah… Morisato may be the King of Wooing, but Eiji was the freaking god. Yes, you could assume he was being more than prideful but if you could see how much work he'd put into his White Day gift for Lita, you'd think the same. He'd gotten reservations at the fanciest restaurant he could get, an international one called Ratatouille oddly enough, and had managed to convince, read give lots of cash and the occasional threat, to procure a secure location and walk at the local butterfly garden, one that specialized in exotic species of the little creatures and flowers of all kinds including the rare breeds. Not to mention he had gotten a stereo filled with a CD burned to the brim with all of Lita's favorite romance songs.

Oh yeah, he was freaking awesome.

And that was without saying anything about the object he made sure was firm and secure in his pocket, his true gift to Lita, and himself really. They'd be in high school at the end of this semester, and were still a few years short of the legal age but Eiji honestly couldn't wait anymore. After spending a year as Lita's boyfriend, fighting with her against evil, sharing his secrets with her, practicing his art with her and training the kids of their group with her, and loving her despite knowing she'd be better off without him. Call him a pessimist but that event with the Crystal Spawn, Hedorah, was still fresh in his mind despite it having occurred over a week ago.

He still couldn't shake that something was wrong, but for now, he had more important matters to deal with.

--

Shiro checked the bouquet in his hands for what seemed like the hundredth time in as many minutes. The flowers were still fresh and in the same order as he had arranged them. The clerk at the flower shop, apparently the daughter of the shop owner, was quite stubborn and had been quite vocal of how doubtful it was that he would know anything about the language of flowers and how to arrange a halfway-decent bouquet. After translating every flower in the shop, the lady Yamaka allowed him to make his bouquet, which landed him a job offer from the suddenly happy-go-lucky blonde.

Wise as he wise, Shiro would never fully understand the female mind.

The vase he had purchased for the bouquet was fade of crystallized glass, colored like flames with phoenixes carved onto its side. The effect it had on the flowers worked best in the light of the sun and Shiro smiled proudly at the flowers, knowing yet still hoping that Rei would love them. For this past year, the two had worked hard in improving the shrine's business, what little improvement it actually needed as the both of them together brought in large amounts of people though not necessarily for a good reason.

Hey, it wasn't their fault that they fit the part as handsome and beautiful employs of the shrine.

--

Takuya and romantic are two words that would never be considered to use in the same sentence. Takuya was one that was as crude as he was harsh about anything to do with romance and the opposite sex. For a long time, it looked like nothing would really change his mind about how he felt on these matters. That is, until a certain loud, energetic, pain in the neck of a girl shoved her way into his life. This of course, was none other than Mina Aino, the infamous destroyer of sayings and legally classified as insane for the opposite sex. What she saw in him was a complete mystery outmatched only by what someone like Takuya saw in someone like Mina.

Either way, he was in love and though you could drag him to Hell and back, he'd never admit it aloud. Still, that didn't necessarily mean he was as heartless as he acted around most people, these people lately being a certain cross-dresser. She cared enough to give him something for Valentine's Day and… she loved him enough to make it herself.

So here he was in the most expensive chocolate store in the country trying to find the perfect gift.

Oh yes, the feeling was mutual in Takuya as well but he was not a cook and there was a better chance of him reigning as King of Hell before he'd bother to learn, especially when Morisato was doing exactly that. Some could say he should have at least tried but then, they don't know that he hasn't already now do they? And those attempts, what few they were, are best forgotten by all.

Takuya was quite assured that his lost concoction was well and truly dead.

A starshaped box caught his eyes as well as the name of the origin of the candy. Wonka's… one of, if not the best, of all candy factories in the worlds. Oh yes, even in their old world, the famous candy-maker reign as the Chocolate King. Takuya took the box in hand and made way to the register. The price nearly made his eyes pop out of his head but then the idea of how Mina would react changed it to a winning smirk. He paid the cashier and took the box in hand, smirking in victory.

"Some things never change I see," a kind-hearted voice of a female spoke up beside him. Takuya looked up and saw a girl around Mina's height with short-cropped purple hair. She wore a shirt made of black silk that appeared two sizes too small and her skirt left little to the imagination. She smiled, her ruby eyes shining. "She must be special this girl, eh? I'll have to go and introduce myself to her won't I?" She giggled, pressing a finger up against Takuya's open mouth, shutting it and exited, blowing a kiss his way.

Takuya's wide eyes stared after her for such a length of time that the cashier was worried that something had burned out in the boy's brain. This was obviously not the case as a subtle wind began to blow in the store, causing Takuya's long red hair to move and gave him a rather terrifying look that was severely outmatched by the look of complete and utter fury on the tall boy's face. The cashier chose the better part of valor and ducked behind his register as Takuya screamed.

Everything composed of glass in the store shattered as hurricane force winds exploded around him as his body was wrapped in a cocoon of light that moved with unrivaled speed out of the store and into the streets, bursting with a muffled explosion to reveal a furious Kamen Rider.

The girl, already down the block turned at the noise and smiled, speaking softly. "It's been a long time hasn't it, Lover?"

Rodan's answer was a scream of fury as he shot forward and attempted to behead the girl only for her form to suddenly vanish out of sight. Taking deep ragged breaths in a vain attempt to control his temper, Rodan looked around the street, ignoring the looks of the civilians as they took cover from what they presumed to be another battle between good and evil. They were right in a way in that such a battle would occur but it would not be between man, against monster.

No, this battle would be nothing like that at all as the girl appeared atop a lamppost, shaking her head in shame at Rodan's antics. "You still have such a temper, Lover. Really, how do you expect to move forward in the world if you have to be dragged kicking and screaming into it?"

"The only screaming anyone will be doing here is you, bitch!" Rodan pointed his sword at her, his Cast-On activating instantly as the K-Zector turned entirely on its own. He charged upwards, aiming for a downward slash but she blurred out of sight again.

"Really, must we settle this like savages," she sighed, shaking her head as she daintily sat atop the hood of a car that, seconds after she blurred away, was sliced in half. "I guess we must. Ah well, it might turn out to be fun." She shrugged, standing on the opposite street from Rodan. She reached down to the strange buckle adorning her belt. "Execute. Kaiju Spirit Evolution."

"WAKE UP!"

--

Mina's smile could rival the sun in its intensity for this day was going to be the best day ever! Why? Well, it was White Day and that meant presents from many of her admirers and declarations of love that she'd ignore and gently turn down. Now this would seem odd as Mina was as boy-crazy as one could safely get and she still was. The thing is, she's crazy over one boy now and it was that one boy that she was attempting to find as visions of the possible rewards she'd receive.

Most of these were certainly not G-rated but hey, she's a teenage girl, she was allowed to dream such things!

The screams of people dragged Mina back down to earth from Cloud 9 and forced her attention on the crowd running past her to get away from the shopping district that, from the sounds of it, was turning into a warzone! A purple colored blur zipped past her, followed by a screaming red one. The two blurs collided multiple times, apparently exchanging blows, before rebounding against each other to halt in midair before they collided into the buildings behind them. The red blur turned out to be Rodan with his weapon in hand and Cast-On activated but the other was something Mina had never expected to see.

Another Kamen Rider.

This one was obviously female and her armor was insect-like in nature, all the way down to her helmet which had no visor but a pair of bug-eyed goggles, colored like rubies. The armor was a shade of vibrant purple with the sharp edges colored yellow. A pair of holo-wings blurred behind her back and a long hologram of a dragonfly's tail dangled beneath her. The holo-stinger attached to it was easily a foot long. In her hands were a pair of bladed tonfa shaped like the serrated claws of a crustacean.

And though Mina didn't know it, this was the Kamen Rider infamously known as Megaguirus; a disgrace and a traitor to the Kamen Riders and their Code, but more than that was her connection to another flying Rider by the name of Rodan. Outside the armor, she is known as Ritsuko Ikari and was a proud woman who was as conniving as she was beautiful, her manner more befitting that of a viper in the grass than the praised animals used to describe her. Once upon a time, she had been a friend, an ally, a comrade-in-arms, and once not so long ago…

She was Takuya's lover.

Mina didn't know any of these things but what she did know was that there was suddenly another Rider, an apparently evil one if Rodan was here and fighting against her. She reached for her communicator, and began to call for help while the conversation continued on above her.

"You fight in your family's style still I see." Megaguirus, twirled her tonfa, the Drainage, idly.

"You sadistic wench of a bitch!" Rodan snarled. His anger had simmered down enough for comprehensive thinking but he was still lost in a sea of rage. "How the hell are you still alive!? Raijin-sama destroyed you! There was nothing left to toss to the Crystals!"

"Does it really matter? I'm here now." She said calmly, not giving a hint of real feeling.

"You're right," he agreed, a feral grin underneath his helmet as his grip on the Primal Blade tightened. "That just means I have the pleasure of sending you to the void myself!"

She knew instantly that he meant to kill her but it was the word he used to describe her form of afterlife that broke the mask she wore. "DON'T SAY IT'S NAME!" She shrieked, shooting forward to press the attack. Rodan dodged and began to act on the defensive. He would have been startled by her reaction but the very idea of killing her was too pleasing a thought to let go.

The both of them were the fastest amongst the Riders and had their own strengths. Rodan was made for clear and straight travel at supersonic speeds but wasn't one for prolonged combat. Megaguirus traveled at the same speed as he but had the advantage of greater maneuverability and with this she was fast enough to dodge most of the heavy blows and deliver some of her own. Their weapons clashed again and again, neither gaining any real advantage as both weapons had fine serrated edges that refused to break against the other. For a time, it looked as though there would be no clear advantage when something occurred to change it all in an instant.

A voice crackled in Rodan's headset, Kusanagi's. _"She killed your sister."_

That, was more than enough.

Rodan screamed a primordial roar, and knocked Megaguirus back before the rockets on his back exploded with force, sending him shooting forward and breaking the sound barrier with thunder's cry. "_Sonic Winding Slash!_"

Only by raising her tonfa did Megaguirus save herself from being beheaded but the strength behind the attack was enough to send her slamming into the ground. Rodan stayed in the air, breathing raggedly, not knowing that her head was still attached to her neck. The dust cleared revealing nothing but a deep crater in the street with a body-shaped imprint in the center.

Megaguirus was gone, but more than that, she was still alive.

"NO! NO, NO, NO!" Rodan swooped down, his scanners on the high-alert as he futilely tried to find her but if his own K-Zector hadn't reacted to her being there right in front of him, what chance did he have? He didn't bother thinking, only of the fact that she was back and his sister's murder was still unavenged. "I'll find you!" He screamed. "No matter where you go, where you may hide, I will find you and when I do, I'll send you rotting corpse straight back to Hell piece by piece! DO YOU HEAR ME, RITSUKO!? I'LL KILL YOU!" His scream echoed in the emptiness of the street.

--

"That," a painful wrench and her shoulder was no longer dislocated, "was very foolish of you, my dear."

Ritsuko grit her teeth as she rolled her arm to rid herself of the pain quicker. "I had not expected such a strong reaction from him. We were about even until Kusanagi and his band of merry-men showed up."

"They had other company as well but then, you were too busy getting your head nearly cut off." The man who had just finished patching her up appeared older than he was, what with his hair a blazing white with the tips dyed a bloody red, especially at the nape of his neck. In this form, he is known as Gendo Kurata and he was at least in his late thirties with a rather resigned way about him which could be explained by the fact that bandages were wrapped tightly around his eyes. Yet, despite this apparent handicap, he moved fluidly and never collided into anything and even now was typing a command into the laptop that one of their allies had been kind enough to procure.

It showed a group of girls dressed in vibrantly colored sailor suits, all standing by or near their 'fellow' Riders.

Ritsuko leaned forward, interested at this development. "And these are?"

"The original protectors of this world it would seem." Gendo frowned.

"They look like a group of bubbleheads," said Ritsuko derisively. "I suppose those outfits are some kind of armor?"

"It doesn't matter what they wear, it is what they can do that matters." Gendo spoke harshly. "I see great power in them… Especially…" He placed a solitary finger on the image of Sailor Moon. "That one and…" his finger moved to be over Mini-Moon. "Her offspring."

"Offspring? Are you suddenly blind now, Kurata-san? That girl you just pointed at couldn't be more than sixteen years of age!" Ritsuko exclaimed.

"You do not See as I do," he spoke in a whisper. "And you know nothing of the potential they possess. As much as the Cosmos did once upon a time."

"The Cosmos?" she huffed. "They're a myth!"

Though he had no eyes, Gendo somehow managed to shoot her a very dry look. "And a group of people using the powers of gigantic monsters turned into miniature statues is far more believable?"

"… Point…" She sighed, leaning back on the table. "So, how are we going to do deal with them, then?"

"That isn't our place to think about." Gendo answered, heading towards the door. "For now, we must bide our time and wait."

"Are you really not interested in seeing Shiro again?" she suddenly asked.

Gendo stiffened and, for but a moment, one could almost feel the immense surge of emotions. "There will come a time," he answered. "I've better things to do than to concern myself over an errant nephew." He left, leaving a giggling Ritsuko behind.

"I'm sure, Old Man…" '_Like you don't want to pay Shiro-kun back for what he did to Gabriel._'

--

"How the hell did she survive you lying son of a bitch!?" Takuya was trying to break free from the tight grip Shiro and Eiji had on his arms to wrap his hands around their sensei's throat. Morisato stood by their teacher in case Takuya did manage to break loose. None of the girls were there as Takuya reacted more violently at the sight of anything of the opposite sex, even Mina.

Shiisa glared at his student. "What are you talking about, Yashima?" Morisato winced. If Shiisa used your last name, that meant you were either in trouble or you were about to be.

"Ritsuko! That bitch is still alive!" Takuya roared. "HOW?!"

"What?" Shiisa blinked in surprise. "That's—That's not possible! I was there! I saw… oh no…"

"Sensei?" Morisato asked. "What is it?"

"We did see her perish," said Midoriko, stepping calmly into the room. "But we did not find her body or her K-Zector. For all we knew, Raijin-kun had vaporized her to ash." A sadistic grin passed over Takuya's face at that mental image before reality shook it loose.

"Then how is she alive? Better yet, how the hell is she here?!"

"Isn't it a strange coincidence that young Hudson was able to survive an explosion that wiped out a good portion of North America and found his way here?" she asked. "I don't know anymore than you do but I do have a hypothesis."

"And that is?" asked Shiro.

"It could be that, with the sheer amount of Crystals on our world, the fabrics of space and time had become thin enough that, with the proper amount of energy, one could be transported outside of our home dimension."

"That doesn't explain how we ended up here at different times… or not at all…" Eiji briefly remembered the bodies of the Urashima brothers. "Shiro arrived here months after we did though he was with us when we left. Hudson was brought here around the same time but he left our world years ahead of us and he hasn't aged a day since. Just how is that possible?"

Midoriko sighed, and rubbed her forehead, trying to stop the incoming headache. "Ask me anything of magic and I can give you an answer. I am no expert in temporal or dimensional physics, Eiji-kun."

"No you aren't." Shiisa agreed. "But I know someone who is."

--

Atop the Tokyo Tower, there stood a dark and forboding form that seemed to sap away at any light that dared to be near his presence. He was dressed completely in black with the only bright thing about him being his eyes which were the color of fire, of blood, and of destruction. His trenchoat flapped in the wind as he gazed over the large city below him. This was a new world, a world free of the Crystals and their influence. He could not Feel any pain from this Earth but that did not mean that the Earth itself wasn't already in pain. This world was free from the Crystal Incursion, yes, but it had another form of infestation plaguing it.

Humans.

A clawed hand tensed and a few words were spoken softly in the forbidden tongue as he tested what level of strength he could use. A bolt of lightning shot downwards through the city, striking an empty phonebooth and sending it skyhigh in a fiery explosion. A pleased grin revealed sharp fangs. It was enough.

"_HADES?! You better be on this channel you (bleep)! Where the (bleep) are you, you (bleep) (bleep) of (bleep)!?_" The figure sighed, and took out the walkie-talkie that he had assumed was turned off.

"Yes?" he answered plainly. "I'm here, what is it?"

"_YOU SON OF A (BLEEP)! WHY THE (BLEEP) AREN'T YOU ON THE (BLEEP) PROPER (BLEEP) CHANNEL YOU (BLEEP)!?_"

He sighed once more, shaking his head. Obviously, he was compratiot was furious if she was constantly pressing one of the extra buttons on the device to produce the constant 'bleep' noise. "What do you want?" He asked once more.

"_You're need back at headquarters, Hades-sama._" The female voice was suddenly soft and demure compared to the rough, and loud, screeching from earlier.

"Understood." He started to prepare to leave when an idea suddenly struck him. He leaned over slightly and dropped the device from his hands and watched as it struck— "A pigeon. Pity. I was hoping for a child at least." Without another word, a veil of black mist surrounded him and, with a sudden gust of wind, he vanished.

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_Shiro:_ It's bad enough that Ritsuko Ikari has, somehow, unexpectedly survived her execution and arrived here, in the universe but she was only the opening act to the grand drama that is about to enter our lives. As Eiji and I speak warn the girls of Ritsuko and her powers, Ishida and Morisato are left to face not one but two deadly Riders. The Ishida Brothers. Wait, who's… oh no… This is not going to end well at all…

The Brothers Ishida; Soldiers of the Sky Clash!

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** For those eager on information on Kamen Rider Megaguirus as I've already done previously with my other Riders... well, you will have to just sit back and wait until all of the evil Riders have been fully revealed.

* * *


	29. The Brothers Ishida

Me: Bahamut, I swear to God...

Bahamut: NO! You'll only break it like you did yours!

Me: I DID NOT- Sigh... look, let me borrow it long enough to post the next chapter and then you have it right back.

Bahamut: ... Promise.

Me: What? Oh come on.

Bahamut: Promise or no new chapter.

Me: Fine, I promise to give you back your laptop now may I PLEASE borrow it?

Bahamut: You already are.

Me: What? Ah, microphone-typer. Nice.

Bahamut: Break it, and I'll break you.

Me: Yeah, yeah...

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

The Brothers Ishida; Soldiers of the Sky Clash!

Eiji supposed that he should be feeling a bit ashamed over what he was about to do but then the reminder of what Ritsuko was capable of, not to mention the idea that she was possibly not alone in this, changed his mind instantly. He just hoped that Morisato could run interference long enough for him and Shiro to explain the situation to the girls.

They were already seated around their form of headquarters. How they had managed to get a base of operations installed under the Crown Arcade, Eiji didn't know seeing as it was a pair of felines that had introduced them to the base in the first place. Shiro himself didn't really question it and Takuya could have cared less. As for Morisato… well, let's just say introducing him to technology from a kingdom long turned to dust yet still on the same, if slightly bit lower, level compared to their own wasn not a good idea.

'_At least he managed to hook our systems up with theirs._' Eiji mentally sighed. While the attempt had worked, it had caused every video game in the arcade above to suddenly go haywire. Needless to say, Andrew was not happy but seeing as he had no idea it was them, they were off the hook. Andrew still hadn't figured out how he had managed to receive one of KaibaCorp's prototypes as compensation for the business lost that day.

With Shiro watching his back, Eiji quickly made the combo on the console of the Sailor V game, letting his thumb rest on the right button. A hushed whir of gears moving and the outline of the doorway appeared in the way beside the game. Eiji waved a hand through it and smiled at seeing the hologram remain in place as his arm passed through the wall. He gave a discreet nod to Shiro before descending down the hidden staircase.

--

Rini was deeply annoyed, and with a good reason this time! Oh yes, these two weeks had been one of the best this year for a number of reasons. She and Hotaru were reunited, quite tearfully might I add, and she had another transforming hero as a friend, one that was closer to her and Hotaru's age, the Kamen Rider Kishin otherwise known as Hudson. His quirks took some getting used and his shyness was quite endearing really, but once the boy had fully realized that she wouldn't stop being his friend just because of the odd coloration of his eyes and his hair, he became the best male friend she ever had.

The teasing she could deliver to the pair's relationship was an added bonus.

Then there was their training in the martial arts with Eiji-sensei, or Ryu-sensei as Hudson liked to call him, with Lita sometimes adding her own two cents into the mix. Because of the seizures Hotaru suffered and Hudson's damaged lungs, the two were kept at a lighter pace than her and often performed more meditation than she did.

Oh now she was getting sidetracked again!

"Why can't we be in the meeting too!" she asked. The three of them were currently in Hotaru's room, virtually denied access to leave and take part with the discussion that was about to take place. Michiru and Haruka were at the meeting and Setsuna was currently talking with Shiisa. There was an opportunity there but it was wasted since the two of them used words big enough that, tried as they might, couldn't even pronounce themselves let alone figure out what they meant.

"They adults." Hudson shrugged. "We're nothing but kids."

"But we're Sailor Scouts, and you're a Kamen Rider! At least you should be there!" argued Rini.

Hotaru shook her head. "Technically, I'm not as I haven't transformed as often as you have and Hudson…"

"Is not trusted yet…" The boy muttered. "With good reason. It might go berserk again." A time ago, the 'it' in that sentence would have been referring to himself but that time was over and the 'it' in question was the dreaded berserker inside the K-Zector imbedded within Hudson's body. "Hud—I can't take the risk of transforming into Kishin."

"What happened anyway? I've never seen Haruka-papa look so mad…" Mad, not exactly. Furious, you've got a winner.

"I don't know really…" Rini sighed. "Just that another Rider suddenly showed up and Rodan went… well, the district had seen better days." She refrained from using the word 'berserk' around Hudson as his version and what Rodan's were different. Not by much but just enough.

"Another Rider?" asked Hotaru. "What did he look like?"

"She. It was a girl, and kind of… I don't know… like a purple dragonfly?"

"That sounds kind of pretty," mewed Diana, eyes sparkling at the image while Rini sweatdropped. Pretty was the not the word she'd use to describe that Rider's form and armor.

Hudson blinked. "Really, a dragonfly? Hmm… better than grasshopper…" He licked his lips and suddenly, the girls knew exactly what he meant.

"Eww! Hudson!"

--

"Where's Takuya?" asked Mina, seeing that it was only Eiji and Shiro entering with the door closing quietly behind them. Eiji moved to the large computer and took a seat at its control board while Shiro sat down beside Rei.

"No offense, Lady Mina," said Shiro. "But do you really think that Takuya's calmed down any since yesterday?"

"… No…" she whispered. Darn that girl! She had ruined White Day for her and the other girls! Well, not so much the other girls but it was still ruined for her and that's what mattered most here! "Who was that girl and why was Takuya so…"

"P.O.ed?" asked Eiji, typing at the computer. "Give me a minute here… ah, here we go." An image of the Rider from yesterday appeared next to a picture of a purple haired girl around the same age as Darien and Shiro.

"Is that her?" asked Lita, quirking an eyebrow at how on edge she suddenly felt at the girl's image, which showed her smiling the way a cunning fox would her prey.

"It is and if Takuya finds out we still have her file in our data banks, he'd go on a smashing spree so don't tell him anything about this." Eiji turned in the chair. "I mean it, this girl is an extremely sore point with him and even mentioning her name sets him off."

"Who is she?" asked Luna. Eiji looked to Shiro who looked back with an empty expression that spoke that it was Eiji's choice to tell them.

"She is Ritsuko Ikari, Kamen Rider Megaguirus and…" His eyes gained a reddish tint as he allowed himself to feel a measure of the rage that Takuya felt when it came to this particular female. "Takuya's ex."

Stunned silence reigned before everyone started to speak at once. Only when Shiro slammed his metal arm down onto the table, denting it, did they quiet down and stare at him in shock. He remained strangely silent and unapologetic.

Eiji shot the older boy a confused look, his empathy telling him that he was angry and… afraid? He'd ask him afterward. "Okay, to answer what I believe Ami was trying to ask… No, we don't know how she got here or how she survived. She was captured and executed for her crimes, or so we assumed. My father was the executioner and had, apparently, used the G-Force Cannon to kill her."

Artemis gulped. "Not really merciful was he?"

He shot a burning glare at the feline. "Nor was she when she _ate_ Takuya's sister."

That earned him many gasps and sharp exclamations from the girls.

"She-She ate Takuya's…" Serena looked quite green in the face, beyond horrified at the idea.

"Not in the literal sense!" Eiji quickly assured. "Her M-base allows her to move at superhuman speeds, roughly over a hundred miles per hour and that's when she isn't feeling particularly hungry. However, because of this, she needs a vast amount of nutrients, nutrients that she can't get from eating normal food, so she goes after the next best thing."

"Human energy…" whispered a stunned Luna. "Just like the Negaverse…"

"Nearly." Eiji agreed. He and the other Riders had been told the history of the Scouts, nothing was kept secret between them any longer though that did not mean they had answered questions that hadn't been asked. This applied to either side.

"Fortunately, she can't see energy, not like I can," Shiro spoke for the first time. "She won't feed on you girls because she has to."

"She will because she'll want to." Eiji spoke bluntly. "When she realizes how close we are to you girls… Look, if you see her, don't bother being discrete, scream, call for help, do anything you can to prevent her from using her K-Zector or getting close to you and wait for one of us to get there to help."

"… No…"

"What?" Everyone looked at Mina, who was looking down at her lap, her fists clenched tightly as tears dropped down her face.

"I… I won't let Takuya keep hurting like this… if I… if I ever see her… I'll blast her myself!" She looked up, her expression clearly stating that she meant what she said.

"Mina… you couldn't possibly…" Eiji shook his head. "Look, as much as I despise saying this, Ikari was one of our best. There's no way you'd manage to take her down even if she didn't use her M-base."

"There's also those that came here with her…" Shiro spoke darkly, earning a sharp glare from Eiji.

"Shiro. What did you See?"

Shiro remained silent for a long moment before looking up towards Eiji, concern and fear in his brilliant green eyes. "I think it was a Crystal…"

"You saw a Crystal?!" Eiji all but roared. "And you didn't SAY ANYTHING?! Why?!"

"Because the Crystal was imbedded in Ikari's neck!" exclaimed Shiro. "Whatever force that sent her here is either in league with or is the cause of the Crystal Incursion on our old world!"

Eiji had nothing to say to that, he couldn't with the alarm system going haywire as the computer overrode his files to display a city street where two familiar forms were causing rampant chaos. "Oh God…" Eiji felt sick to his stomach at the sight of the pair. "It's the Ishida brothers…"

--

_Roughly a half-hour ago…_

Two teenaged boys were walking down the street, one age sixteen and the other fourteen. Both were brothers though you couldn't really tell by first looking at them. The oldest was dressed in a tight black muscle shirt and black cargo pants. Despite the warm weather, he wore a long trench coat, also black, and a pair of white gloves over his hands. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses and the forelocks of his dark hair falling over his eyes. He was tall for his age but not overly so. His name is Seifer Ishida.

His younger brother was the same height but had a much bigger build since he had enough natural-gained muscles to make a veteran wrestler green with envy. He was wearing clothes that were far to tight on him but given his large frame, it wasn't all that surprising. Unlike his brother, he actually wore some color though they were merely dull shades of brown and orange. His eyes were a golden yellow and slightly dulled, as though there was not much activity going on behind them, and around his arms were fighting bandages wrapped tight enough that one couldn't see what lay beneath them. His name is Takao Ishishida.

It was quite apparent that Takao was having a merry time walking beside his brother, who did not anywhere near as happy with the situation. Seifer was silent as death as Takao continued talking about the sights around them, completely heedless to the stares he was getting.

"That building there! There, big brother!" he pointed at a random building. "I knocked that one down!"

"I'm sure." Seifer sighed. He loved his brother dearly but he really, his slight handicap could be a real problem. He wasn't dumb per say just… well… a few eggs short of a full dozen.

"Yeah, it was all big and woosh!"

Another sigh from Seifer. This outing that Takao insisted on doing was proving to be increasingly boring but what choice did they have? There was still some time yet before the plan could be executed and though he would never admit it, even to himself, Seifer was fascinated by the world that mirrored what his own was like all those years ago before the Crystal Incursion.

So many targets…

"Hmmm…" He glanced downed briefly at the walkie-talkie strapped to his belt and shut it off. He was done with sightseeing. "Brother."

"Yeah, yeah?"

"Do you want to do something really fun?" Seifer asked in his silken voice.

"Oh, oh! Yes, yes! Something fun!" Takao was bouncing up and down like a child being asked if he wanted to go to Disney Land. "Can we, please?!"

"Yes." Seifer reached up to the leather collar on his neck, or more specifically the buckle. "We can. Execute. Kaiju Spirit Evolution."

"Yays!" Takao mimicked his brother's motions. "Execute! Kaiju Spirit Evolution!"

"WAKE UP!"

With an explosion of light, the cocoons that had been wrapped tightly around the pair burst open to reveal their new selves.

Seifer's armor was completely black save for its armaments which were a row of sharp curved blades starting at the top of his head that extended down to his back. His visor was dark red while the helmet was shaped rather like a some form of cybernetic mantis with the mouth-guard shaped like a bladed beak of a bird. The armor itself was tight fitting, looking lightweight in comparison to the other Riders' armor, and had several wires and cords running between them on the arms and legs. Strapped to his hips were a pair of curved swords that looked to be made of bone, the Hitokiri.

"KAMEN RIDER GIGAN!"

Takao's armor was thick and incredibly heavy looking as it did resemble a humanoid beetle. His helmet was shaped rather like a rhinoceros beetle's head save for the silver, star-tipped horn which was barely a foot long on his head. The bodysuit was a dirt-colored brown as was the armor though the armor itself was etched in stripes of yellow. He had no hands but a pair of large drills attached to his forearms, which he affectionately called his Drillbits.

"KAMEN RIDER MEGALON!"

Brother eldest looked to the younger and smiled beneath the helmet of the assassin. "Try and keep up this time."

--

"Tak-kun, slow down!"

"BITE ME!"

Morisato wondered just what he was thinking by accepting this idea in the first place. Takuya NEVER listened to him before and now the very imagination of such a concept seemed as farfetched as, as, purple dinosaurs!

"Tak-kun, we can't just go wandering around the city hoping to somehow run into her!" exclaimed Morisato. "She's too smart to just stand around waiting for you to come and lob off her head!"

"Damn it, don't you think I know that, Akichi?!" Takuya growled. "I need something to happen here so I can kick some ass and if it has to be a bunch of idiot punks, then they'll do just fine!" An explosion rocked the streets before maniacal laughter followed in the wake of the dust. Takuya looked on in disbelief, having recognized the voice behind the laughter, before grinning a feral smile. "Looks like I just got my wish." Takuya ran blindly into the dust, using it as a cloak to hide himself as he transformed. Cursing to himself, Morisato followed after him knowing that if the Ishida brothers were here, the situation was about to get worse.

Way worse.

--

"Looks like Morisato and Takuya are aware of the situation…" muttered Eiji as he watched Anguirus and Rodan engage the brothers Megalon and Gigan respectively. He winced at the impacts and various damages that were being accumulated via the two powerhouses.

"Shouldn't we help them?" asked Ami, her eyes never leaving Anguirus' form as he fought against Megalon.

"By the time we'd get there the fight will already be over." Eiji pointed at his two subordinates on the monitor. "Those two trained with Gigan and Megalon and know how to fight them better than anyone else here… hopefully, Morisato won't resort to the underhanded method he often used in their spars.."

"Underhanded method?" asked Lita.

_"Hey Taco! You're mama was a cockroach!"_ Eiji palmed his face as Megalon went berserk, screaming. _"NO ONE INSULTS MAMA!"_

"Little Brother, it would seem that things are not going to turn out better." Shiro said, his tone rather icy. Surprised, Eiji looked up at the monitor and growled low in his throat.

"Those two… What the hell are they doing there?"

--

"What the hell are you doing here?!" screeched Rodan, sending a bladed gusts of vacuumed air at Gigan, who teleported some distance away from sword-striking range.

Sailor Uranus scoffed. "Helping you if that wasn't already obvious."

"Like I'd want help from you!"

Anguirus was fairing better than Rodan but not by much in his own conversation with Sailor Neptune.

"Look, Outer Senshi or not, this is way out of your league! Stay out of the way or lives are going to be lost!" Anguirus was practically pleading but like her partner, Neptune was stubborn. However, she wasn't heartless as Rodan's sudden yell gave up a strong indication.

"They don't give a damn about innocent lives!" Rodan dodged a blast of laser energy from Gigan's cycloptic eye. "Look at their damn rap sheet sometime, Anguirus!"

Neptune flinched and looked more than a bit ashamed while Uranus looked righteously pissed off. "HEY! Like you're one to talk! Look at all the damage you two have caused!"

Were this a few days earlier, Rodan would have brushed her off or snapped a sharp retort but within two days, his old hatred and beliefs were overflowing in his mind and it was all he could do to not break the hearts of his—of Mina and her friends. Haruka, Sailor Uranus, was another case entirely with him and the fact that she was neither a friend or a ally made her an enemy of the worst kind in his eyes. So he allowed the sea of rage and unadulterated hatred drown him in its burning waters, not because he wanted to relieve himself of the stress of these two days' past.

By this point, he didn't give a damn anymore.

"Damage to the city! Not to innocent people's hearts! Not like you'd know what a heart is if it was staring you right in the face, you cross-dressing homosexual FREAK!"

There are few things in this world that Uranus' patience can last against in and out of uniform and right now, Rodan had crossed a line and entered dark territory that even Setsuna knew better than to bring up certain memories around Haruka and that memory was of the family that, as of recent years, she was now disowned from.

"_Uranus World Shaking!_" Rodan's eyes widened beneath his helmet before he leapt skyward, twisting his K-Zector around.

"Cast-On!" Rodan was hidden by a bright explosion of of light that, with a robotic cry of, "CAST-ON! CHANGE SORA BUSHI!" died away to reveal himself as an winged samurai, the first Soldier of the Sky.

"You wench!" He screeched. "Don't you dare screw with me! _Sonic Winding Slash!_" He sent a wave of vacuumed air down at Uranus, who rolled out of the way and landing on her feet with her Space Sword in hand.

"Rodan!" Anguirus roared.

"Uranus!" Neptune screamed.

"Stop it!" The two yelled in unision but their cries fell on deaf ears as the two blooded warriors began to fight against each other with years of old hatreds pushing them beyond the limits of their morality.

Gigan and Megalon, confused at first, were now watching the spectacle with great amusement.

"Big Brother, cans we have some popcorn?" Megalon asked. His earlier rage at the Brown Rider was completely forgotten as he watched with great joy as he futilely tried to stop his comrade from killing the tomboy while, likewise, defending him from the pretty water lady..

Gigan chuckled, more amused at the sight of his mutual enemies fighting against each other than his younger sibling's question. It would be so easy to rush in and kill them with a single strike to each of their necks… but where, pray tell, is the fun in that?

"Tell me, Brother, do you still carry those… hrm, loogies of your's?"

--

"So… do I have to ask or do you already know?" Shiisa grinned at Setsuna's obviously annoyed look.

"Mistress of Time I may be but omniscient I am not." Setsuna looked quite imperious with that pout but it was still rather cute to Shiisa, who was actually into her occasional holier-than-thou attitude that she often got during a particularly informative rendezvous with the Time Gates.

Chuckling and shaking his head, Shiisa got straight to the point. "Setsuna, do you know how the Kamen Riders got here?"

"I believe it was you who informed me, Shiisa." She said rather sardonically. He suddenly frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"Huh?" She blinked, the only expression of her surprise.

"You're never this grumpy unless something's wrong. Do you need chocolate or something?" For all her years in life and outside of time, it still took Setsuna a moment to register just what Shiisa was implying. Needless to say, the mark on his face wouldn't be going away anytime soon.

"I'll admit I may have deserved that." Shiisa was actually grinning at her, completely unrepetent. The fact that Setsuna was so emotional around him made him very happy. '_Wow, that actually hurt…!_'

Let it never be denied that Shiisa Miyrabi was a strange character.

"Back to business, I meant to ask, do you know how we got here, the full mechanics?"

Setsuna sighed and leaned back against the couch. "Truthfully, I do not. I believe it may have something to do that you and your family come not only from another time, but another dimension. It makes tracking you down very difficult even for one like myself."

"Really?" He had a teasing smile on now but decided to let the joke drop when he realized the full implecations. "Damn. That means we can't track their movements either."

"They?"

"… Setsuna, you have to realize first and foremost that what she did, what she would have kept on doing, was completely unforgivable."

"I see… this wouldn't have anything to do with what happened yesterday in the shopping district now would it, Shiisa?"

"Eheh… In a way…" He went on to explain of the sudden return of Ritsuko Ikari and how impossible it should have been for her to be alive let alone here in this dimension. Through out it all, Setsuna remained silent, only speaking to ask a question or two. Now she sat across from him digesting the information he had given her and Midoriko's hypothesis. It was a reasonable idea but Setsuna had herself made sure the Gates to this dimension were sealed shut after the attack by Pharaoh 90 but then, how did Shiisa and his brood get here? By another more powerful force than she?

Unlikely.

Not entirely impossible, but still unlikely.

For the second time in her life, Setsuna truly felt completely and utterly at a loss.

"Shiisa… have you ever heard of a Time Divergence Point?"

--

Anguirus knew that somehow, someway, he was going to be blamed for all this. With the events occurring madly around him, he couldn't fault Eiji for it either. The Scarred Rider was trying to combat against not only two Sailor Senshi but his own bloody teammate who wasn't making it any attempt whatsoever to be civilized with the two young ladies.

Not that Anguirus could blame Rodan for he too held little respect or liking to the two Senshi that had all but broken any true standings they had as Sailor Scouts, at least in the eyes of the Kamen Riders. Sailor Saturn, young as she was, couldn't be blamed as she had only recently come into her powers, powers that made her nearly ostracized by her own team and Sailor Pluto had two incredible feats backing her reputation. The duty of watching over time itself and the respect and love of Anguirus' teacher. One was already impressive but the other was downright shocking.

Who knew Sensei had a thing for ladies like Setsuna? Obviously not Anguirus though that really wasn't the point right now. The point was, if Sailor Neptune didn't stop trying to halt the fighting between Rodan and Uranus by blasting at the Winged Rider then Anguirus was going to start bashing in some heads just like he was—

"Oh. Shit." He just remembered who and what he and Rodan were initially fighting. Leaping over a '_Deep Submerge_' and dodging one of Uranus' wild swings of her Space Sword, Anguirus saw that the Brothers Ishida were standing back and watching this fight in obvious amusement. Megalon, seeing Anguirus' eyes on him, waved heartily while his brother pointed down.

Anguirus looked and saw, much to his horror, a dozen of Megalon's special organic napalm bombs rolling straight towards Rodan and Uranus, both of them with their swords locked and foul words and oaths shooting back and forth between them.

"Rodan!" Anguirus leapt forward, urging all of his power into creating a shield strong enough to keep the two of them safe but at the same time push back the two Outer Senshi. How he succeeded in doing so, Anguirus didn't know as he was nearly knocked unconscious from the explosions punching his force shield to immediately notice something rather odd.

"Oy, Anguirus, how the hell are you doing this?" Anguirus wearily opened his eyes and saw that he was hovering in midair, his arms spread out as his force shield crackled around the two Riders like an energy bubble.

"Huh… don't know…" He never had a need to create a full shield like this, not around himself anyway and certainly not when he was jumping through the air.

"Well, whatever you're doing, don't stop! I got an idea!" Oh dear, what terrible feelings of dread such a phrase could create when spoken from someone like Rodan. Said Crimson Rider turned and, with a flap of his holo-wings, sent the force shield rolling forward like a hamster ball.

In the opposite direction.

"Rodan, what are you doing? The bad guys are that way!" Anguirus was also, but not overtly so mind you, concerned over the two Outer Senshi they had left behind, possibly wounded, in the hands of the "Demolition Brothers".

Rodan suddenly activated his boosters before answering, "Just trust me!" It was only when they were roughly over a mile or three down the street and out of sight of the apparent destruction taking place from whence they came did Rodan stop and turned around. He kneeled to the ground and spread his holo-wings as wide as he could, the rocket boosters on his back glowing brightly but releasing no form of explosion.

In an instant, Anguirus realized just what Rodan had planned. "ARE YOU MAD?! You'll kill the girls too!"

"Pity." The boosters suddenly activated with a muffled explosion as Rodan cried out. "Maximum Thrust!"

--

"A Time Divergence Point?"

"I'm sure that you have been curious as to why I never warned Queen Serenity of the attack from the Negaverse and its Queen?" She asked, her mask of neutrality settling nicely over her face. Shiisa noticed this instantly but knew Setsuna would feel more comfortable talking with the mask then without it and baring her emotions to him.

"… For a time it has. I merely assumed that it was destined to be."

"No. It wasn't." A few cracks had appeared and some of her grief, her anger, slipped through in her eyes. "In the months before the attack, the Time Gates could not show me the future though it had done so before. Up until then, I had seen the Silver Millennium continuing on past even my time as Sailor Pluto. Then, the Time Divergence Point occurred."

She looked at him with dead eyes having practiced this speech not for him, but the others who would, eventually, come to her and ask her the unasked question. "A Time Divergence Point is a point in time that is balanced entirely on a single finite event, an event capable of saving… or destroying a future."

"Destroy a—But that can't be!" exclaimed Shiisa. "Rini is here isn't she? Then that means that Crystal Tokyo thing is still going to happen right?"

Setsuna nodded. "That is the only future I can see and even then, it is a small image lost in a sea of grays." There was a faint shiver in her shoulders. "I… I'm scared Shiisa…"

"Setsuna…"

--

Anguirus winced as his force field strained against breaking the sound barrier twice over and struggled to keep it from breaking. His armor and abilities were not built for this! Rodan remained steadfast in his resolve and drew his sights on two familiar female forms.

He grinned.

--

"I don't know what's going to happen, if Crystal Tokyo will not happen or if it means its end, I just don't know…" Tears were falling down from her garnet orbs. "I don't want to lose them, not again…"

"You won't." Shiisa promised, moving to sit beside her and wrapping an arm tight around her shoulders. "You know this problem better than I, but I am entirely on your side… as are my students and their girls I'm sure. I for one will not let this future, our future, die, if I can give my mouth to shout, my body to bleed—"

She suddenly lurched and embraced him tightly. "Don't say that!" she hissed, her tears soaking his chest. "Don't bleed for anything! Don't say that ever again!" She was as nakedly honest and insistent as she had ever been in eons past with anyone, and Shiisa was surprised at the immediacy, the vehemence of her reaction.

--

Time itself seemed to slow to a snail's crawl as the unstoppable object drew ever closer to the two Scouts with their backs turned against the rapidly approaching threat. In that instant in time, Rodan unconsciously came to a crossroads. To continue meant doing that which he would never be able to take back but to stop meant something worse than that.

The answer came in the memory of a smiling Mina Aino, holding his hand and telling him of her love for him through her shining eyes.

Screaming angrily, Rodan gave a mighty flap of his holographic wings and pushed the spinning field faster, harder than before until it suddenly rolled up an upturned piece of roadway and was sent above and over the two Sailor Senshi to crash straight into Rodan's intended targets.

The Brothers Ishida.

--

"Hey! Take it easy, Setsuna-chan. Sshhh… easy. I'm not planning on having to bleed for anything except a shoddy razor." Shiisa lightly brushed his hand against her face, wiping away the tears. "We are on the same side, you and I." He smiled despite the wetness in his own eyes. "But you have to know that I'll always be one of the first into the melee to keep everyone safe. For my students, for the Scouts. For you."

Setsuna exhaled hotly. "I don't want to feel this angry but… I cannot control it," she sighed. "Of course I understand how you feel, with your whole life devoted to keeping people safe and…" She paused and sat up straight now, trying to place the neutral mask but. "I suppose I just panicked, I'm sorry. I suddenly saw you being overrun by youma or something, I don't know, just you lying there… tortured… dying…" She gulped a breath of air and her voice became very tight in its attempt to fight a sob, "and all because of this blasted Time Divergence Point! I don't want to… I don't want to lose you. Is that selfish of me?" She convulsed with a sob.

"No, jeweled heart, no…" Shiisa placed a hand on her knee. He found himself suddenly growing calmer, not emotional, not angry. "We both know we have to protect what is right, but we also want what we… love, I guess is the right word. Right for me at any rate," he sighed, laying his head on her shaking shoulder. "It's an old conflict of hearts' desires, dear. But it's normal, it's not selfish."

"Just don't die, and I won't have to kill you." As soon as she said it, Setsuna realized the mistake she had made.

"That may very well be the most profound statement you've ever made!" crowed Shiisa, laughing loudly.

--

"I think… I'm going… to barf…" Anguirus moaned. He was facedown on the ground and quite ill from intense speeds of Rodan's foolhardy attack.

"You think that's bad? They got away." Rodan growled, surveying the crater the two of them stood in the middle of, ignoring Neptune and Uranus as they slid down to join them. "Gigan teleported them out halfway into our attack. We hit them hard, but we didn't kill them."

"So basically, you failed." Sailor Uranus snarled.

"Haruka!" Neptune hissed at her partner. She did not want their earlier fight to start up again as neither she nor Anguirus had the strength to stop them if they went at it. In fact, the two were so weak, one from exhaustion and the other from as well but adding in that surprise bombing, well, it wasn't that big a surprise to see them de-transform back into Morisato and Michiru. Rodan and Sailor Uranus were glaring at one another as they walked up to each other, canceling out their transformations so that, by the time they stood face-to-face with equal height against each other, it was Takuya and Haruka having the glaring contest.

The two glared liquid death at each other for a long moment until, suddenly, their fists collided against the other's jaw. The two stood there, Takuya's fist pressing against the right side of the Tenoh's face and Haruka's fist pressing against the right side of the Yashima's face. Slowly, they lowered their fists and unclenched them but kept their hands up, palm skyward. They glared at each other for a moment more before sudden spitting a glob of blood into their hands and smacking them against each other and shaking the other's hand.

"Damn you're a rotten wench ain't ya?" Takuya was grinning, despite the blood in his mouth.

Haruka's was almost as bad but she was smiling too. "Not as much as you, you arrogant little bastard."

--

"What the hell just happened?" Eiji would have been shocked to have heard Shiro curse but what he and the others had just witnessed was far more shocking.

"I think… Takuya made a new friend…"

"With Haruka…?" Lita had trouble wrapping her mind around the concept. The tomboyish lesbian being friends with a woman… well not so much hater as he once was but he held no fondness for them. Not to mention the both of them were incredibly hotheaded.

"That's… nice. Right?" Mina couldn't grasp it herself any better really but upon seeing the smile on her boyfriend's face, she realized that she honestly didn't care. Takuya, the Takuya they knew and the one she loved, was back. Though it certainly was a good thing that Haruka was partners with Michiru otherwise there would be trouble.

--

"So, what's up Doc?" a teenaged girl, possibly eighteen years of age, entered the large chamber that served as Gendo's medical bay where two familiar brothers were currently resting from their recent escapade. "How are the Tweedle-Twins?"

Gendo stiffened for a moment but continued typing away at his laptop. "They'll be out for the next few days, which is more beneficial to us if Seifer isn't going to at least attempt to reign in Takao's childish needs for destruction."

There was a pause before the girl spoke again, this time in a much softer, more respectful tone. "We were told that you would be joining us in gathering the appropriate materials. Is this true, Gendo-sama?"

The fingers paused for a moment before continuing on. "Yes. He doesn't want to take any chances with this. With the Ishida brothers and Ritsuko unable to fight for the time being, he is pushing the plan ahead of schedule."

"Isn't he concerned about these… Sailor Scouts?" she asked.

"If he is, he does not speak of it with me," said Gendo, "nor should he. They are not what I expected but it is of little consequence now that we are united for a common goal."

"Oh hell yeah, this shit is going to be freaking awesome!" The rough and gruff voice returned as the brunette's attitude did a complete one-eighty. "I'll see ya in the rise then, Doc!" She left without another word.

Gendo turned and Saw her leave. A nearby labrat suddenly stiffened and dropped to its side as its lifeforce was forcibly drained from it, leaving nothing but a gray husk behind. It was true that Gendo was not looking forward to such a meeting as it would be inconvient to their plans but at the first opportunity to present itself to him, Gendo would take infinite pleasure in having his vengeance.

His daughter was not dead in body but what was left of her was certainly not his Gabriel.

Gendo would make certain that he would return the favor to his young nephew.

Shiro Saito had taken his happiness, so Gendo would, eventually do the same.

He swore it on his honor as a Kamen Rider.

* * *

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_Luna:_ Just when we assume that things can't get any worse, the enemy goes for a simultaneous assault! The odds are against them but still they are overpowering the Riders and the Scouts! Bittersweet reunions between blood, sweat, and tears are abound in the next tale alongside a unspeakable taboo. Will the ultimate descration be made?! Tune in, next time to find out!

The Resurrection Part One; Strike at their Hearts

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** Seeing as my laptop is currently out for repairs/virus cleaning, the next chapter, or two, might be a tad late. They really wouldn't be if SOMEBODY let me borrow their laptop every once and a while!

Bahamut: Back off, it's mine!


	30. Strike at their Hearts

Me: YAY! My computer is back! Be back in a moment! (Rushes away)

Bahamut: What's with him?

Mewtwo: He's bursting with the next chapter.

Me: FINISHED!

Bahamut: HOLY (BLEEP) ON A (BLEEP) SANDWICH! How the hell did you finish so quickly?!

Me: (Grins) Honestly? I've no idea! (Collapses)

Mewtwo: ... He'll be out for a week now.

Bahamut: That's... bad...

Mewtwo: For him.

Bahamut: Oh but of course! Lets raid his arcade and beat all his records.

Poupoko: (You two are so juvenile. I'm in.)

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

The Resurrection Part One; Strike at their Hearts

The sound of footsteps echoed with the sound of heads turning as one to face the small stage in the dark chamber. The man walking along its wooden floor was the oldest of them and knew more than most of them ever dared to dream about the strengths and weaknesses of their armor for he was one of the founding fathers of the Kamen Rider Systems. He was dressed extravagantly in a dark crimson suit with a black undershirt and no tie. His hair, long and colored like blood, was tied in a loose ponytail on his back and his eyes shined like amber in the dark.

He looked at them all, silent as the grave and his eyes giving no quarter as to what he was feeling. Waves of killing intent flowed from him to permeate the room, bathing it in its dark aura. He sighed, releasing a small cloud of gas from his mouth.

"You know what your missions are. Do not deviate from them, do not seek out the others, and do not fail. If any of these are broken, do not bother to hide. If I do not find you, the Master will and his punishments will make my own look like a child's spanking in comparison." He glared at them all. "Kamen Riders… move out!"

--

Midoriko shouldered her purse and gave a tired smile as she waved goodbye to her fellow doctors as she headed out from the hospital towards home. There were a lot of patients today, more than there should have been despite the… incident from last week. Though she really couldn't blame Morisato, she wondered if Takuya really bothered to reign in that terrible temper of his. Still, the status of the patients coming in were rather… odd to say the least. Most were coming in with lung problems ranking between bad to severe. A few even died because whatever virus they had been infected with had completely melted their lungs. So far, there wasn't any explanation or a cure.

"A hospital. I should say that I'm surprised but really, I'm not." A voice as soft as silk containing a knife's sharp edge spoke from behind her where Midoriko stood waiting for the crosswalk light to change. She stiffened, her grasp on her bag loosening until it fell from her limp fingers.

Its straps were caught by a hand bearing familiar arcane patterns etched onto the skin. The hand connected up to a tall and foreboding individual, seemingly a living embodiment of the darkness that shined in his red orbs, an opposite to her blue ones. Dressed in entirely in black, he was one of the most dangerous of them, one of the top ten hands down not because of his skill in combat, which was standard when it came to hand-to-hand but with a weapon he was as deadly a force as a hundred soldiers. No, it was his skill in the forbidden arts of magic.

"Naraku…" Midoriko whispered. "My brother… you're alive?"

Blood-colored orbs narrowed. "In no small thanks to you my dear and beloved twin."

Midoriko was rapidly approaching a state of shock as she stared at her twin brother. "But… how… I…"

"Ah yes, your banishment spell." He smiled, revealing sharp fangs. "The thing about banishment spells? They don't tend to kill their victims." He backhanded her roughly across the face, sending her to the ground with a small cry of pain. "A mistake I won't make with you, my dear sister."

Midoriko raised a hand to her bruised face and looked up at Naraku. "I had no choice, brother!"

"No choice? NO CHOICE?!" The symbols on his hands glowed brightly with power. "You had a choice, sister!" Black fire lit up in his hands. "You chose wrongly."

--

It wasn't a dangerous place to work, not with those with having large amounts of common sense and a encyclopedic knowledge of what chemicals would not go "Boom!" if they were mixed together or resting too closely near. As a resource plant, none of them really expected anything bad to really happen. Youma attacks aside, what would a monster want with a few kilos of iron or sulfur? They were true to think that a youma with no basic instinct but to feed itself and obey the commands of those who either sired it or was alpha.

They never considered at all the worst kind of monsters were seen not in the moonlight, but in their own reflections.

He was tall and as imposing as Death itself for the armor he wore was quite familiar to those that followed the adventures of the two heroic bands that protected the nearby district of Juuban. His bodysuit was colored a dark black and shaped in a way similar to a human body's muscular system. His armor was based off no manner of creature they had ever seen but like the bones of some alien life form to horrible to be allowed to exist in the universe.

The real scary part?

None of them were sure if the suit was really a suit.

It didn't matter really; none of them lived long enough to concern themselves over the idea of whether it was a man or a monster.

The individual known simply as 'X' stood silently, overlooking the burned bodies of the dead, his ruby eyes glowing beneath the skull-mask. He took in a great lungful of the smell of cooked flesh and freshly departed souls.

In the emptiness of the building, his laughter was as haunting as the tolling of a graveyard bell.

--

"Wh-Who are you people?!" The security guard clutched the stump where his forearm was once attached. The rest of the limb rested beside him, dried as an age-old corpse.

He is tall, one of the tallest amongst most men his age and nationality, and as pale as freshly fallen snow. Dressed in the garb of a doctor, his medical skills are well-trusted amongst those who know him though it is obviously of his blindness; his eyes being hidden being tightly wrapped bandages. However, they know that he does not See as they do and the Sight he has makes him a very dangerous enemy for nothing he Sees can be denied as not being true.

Gendo Kurata sees everything.

Beside him stood a girl dressed in a fine silken Chinese robe with vibrant sky-blue dragons dancing along its surface. Her skin, pale as milk, seemed to have a luster all its own as her eyes colored the pink of an albino glowed with open malice. This malice is gone with the scorning frown to be replaced by a serene smile and gentle eyes suddenly now filled with warmth. Once upon a time, she had a name. A name she treasured for the connection it had to the man beside her. Gabriel was what she was called before but not any longer.

She grinned, the anger suddenly returning, grabbing a hold of the man's collar and pulling him up to her face. "I am Legion. For I am many." Her mouth opened wide and the guard saw just what she truly meant by these words.

Amidst the agonized screams of terror and pain from the dying guard, Gendo stood back and smiled with a detached form of pride for the creature that had been his daughter.

"Quit playing with your food and come along. I'm sure the alarms been tripped and he doesn't want us distracted with dealing with the police." The police were of no real concern; it was they who were above the law that were.

A sound of multiple insects swarming along the ground before Gabriel, no… Legion sighed, the hatred and malice gone to be replaced by a form of serenity. "As you wish, Gendo-sama."

--

Shiisa gave a powerful uppercut followed quickly by a drop kick to the shoulders. Turning, he struck out with a sweep kick and a punching combo too fast to be seen by untested eyes. He back flipped over another opponent, kicking at their back with both feet to gain extra momentum to deliver a more powerful spin kick to the last of them. Taking a few deep breaths of air, Shiisa stayed crouched and low to the ground as his eyes scanned the fallen enemies.

The training dummies weren't going to do any further harm ever again, or much of anything for that matter.

"Training as hard as ever I see."

Shiisa didn't flinch, didn't gasp in shock, nor did he allow himself a chance to become a target. He was moving the instant he heard and recognized the voice, using the debris from his training as projectiles, against the one person he had prayed fervently to truthfully be dead and gone from all existence.

Thick clouds of gas surrounded the man who spoke and Shiisa heard more than saw the pieces of wood and hardened metal disintegrate from the deadly fumes. The clouds faded out of sight, the gas losing its potency as the creator of it ceased the flow of proper chemicals. Seeing the man, Shiisa growled low in his throat, hatred and rage flowing through him like liquid magma.

"Daisuke Serizawa…"

"In the flesh." The man-in-red grinned, amber eyes alight with madness. "My, Shiisa-kun, you haven't aged a day now have you?"

"Do not call me that," Shiisa growled, moving in a slow circle around Daisuke, muscles tight and ready to dodge an attack. "You're nothing but a traitor to Raijin and everything he stood for."

"I suppose this is the part where I lament of my guilt, then?" Daisuke's grin widened. "Where I proceed to make a fool of myself and monologue every key detail of my plan so that help may arrive?

"I don't think so." Daisuke snapped his fingers and the wall behind exploded with a burst of fire. Shiisa back flipped out of the way and saw a huge hulking shape pushing its way into the dojo. It was neither man nor woman, its gender unknown and unspoken. It was a hulking beast, dwarfing the two men easily with its staggering twelve-foot height and overly large muscle mass. Black, acrid, sulphorous gas came out from its fanged mouth in waves as it mimics the motions of breathing. Thick obsidian rock covers its boiling blood of magma, where a Crystal-made heart beats the same energies of life that created its brother, the Smog Monster Hedorah but, unlike its "brother", this beast shares no such semblance of sentiency.

"Shiisa-kun, meet Obsidius." Daisuke acknowledged the hulking beast behind him. "Obsidius? Meet your new toy."

The creature turned its eyeless face to Shiisa.

And grinned.

--

Serena smiled, her face looking up towards the shining sun. Despite the worries and concerns the Riders had for the girls, she took the peaceful moments whenever she could and enjoyed them to the fullest. Well, almost to the fullest as her precious Darien wasn't in sight or hand. She was thankful that Rini had decided to visit Hotaru and Hudson. Serena had thought of teasing the girl of having a crush on the negative-eyed boy but decided against it for two reasons. First, it was more than obvious that the boy was completely smitten with Hotaru as she was with him, which led to even more amusement, and two, Hudson didn't have wings.

'_What is it with Rini and winged boys anyway?_' Serena wondered if she had to concern herself over the idea of Rini gaining a crush on Takuya but laughed that idea away the instant it came to her. Takuya barely tolerated girls at all let alone one as young as Rini.

"How very interesting…" An echoing voice spoke from behind her. Blinking in surprise, Serena turned and gasped in horror at the sight behind her.

"Kaijin!" It appeared to be similar to one at least. It was obviously male, odd but not entirely uncommon, but beside its human torso and face, its lower body was like that of a dinosaurs, like a tyrannosaur's with the sinuous tail of a snake. Covering its body were several large crystals arranged like a hedgehog's quills would be. Crystals even made up the creature's facial hair, giving it a beard. It grinned, revealing piranha's teeth underneath its ashen gray lips. It stood over seven feet tall and seemed more than capable of tearing her asunder with one swipe of its crystalline claws.

"Close." The strange creature was amused by her mistake. "I think you've been misinformed on what a monster really is. Allow me to teach you."

"N-No, that's okay. Really." Serena slowly backed away from the humanoid monster, one hand straying towards her brooch.

"Oh, but I insist." It crouched low to the ground. "The first lesson is in the name. I am called Krystalak. You, my dear, shall be called my first victim."

--

The tapping of glass was loud in the silence of the soundproof room hidden deep within the home of the Kamen Riders. There was a hum of power from two different sources of energy. One was what protected the wristwatch-like object lying behind the panes of bullet-proof glass, creating an energy shield over the glass to protect it from other projectiles, while the other was from the one who stood before the K-Zectors which stood as testament to who wielded them and fell in the line of duty.

Names filled the visitor's gaze as its eyes fell over each K-Zector one by one.

Kiri Natchios, Espiga Parker, Kushinada Urashima, Issun Urashima, Ushiwaka Urashima, and Erika Kusanagi.

The hand rested gently on the glass before the other pulled back and delivered a punch that shattered it with ease despite the agony of electricity running across it. Sending forth an unspoken command, the energy field was shut down. An emotionless gaze fell over the first two K-Zectors and dismissed them as the Creator had dismissed them. They were of no importance and were useless, but the rest…

Yes, it could see what the creator had in mind for them. It gathered them up one at a time, placing them in the suitcase it had been given for them until, finally, there was only the one K-Zector left that the Creator desired. Its right hand rose up to grasp it when, suddenly, it clenched itself into the form of a drill and buried itself deep into the metal of the wall. It paused and stared silently at the limb for such a time that, without the chronometer display, hours would have gone past without it knowing otherwise.

There was a heavy rumble, like that of an earthquake, and the sounds of battle were just now beginning to break through the so-called soundproof barriers around the room. It pulled its hand out from the wall and stood back; closing the lid of the suitcase and heading back to the Creator. It did not know what could be done if it was questioned as to why it did not complete its mission for it did not know just why only that something was… wrong… with the idea of taking that one K-Zector.

_"Let her rest…"_ The voice was not its own but the voice belonged to no-one else for there was no-one there in the room. It adjusted to the strangeness with detached calculation and continued back towards the creator.

--

"FIGHT ME!" Naraku screamed in rage, sending a bolt of lightning at Midoriko, who added further strength to her _Protega_ spell.

"Naraku, my brother, please! Stop this! This quarrel between us is senseless! We are of the same blood!" Tears shone in Midoriko's eyes, which did nothing but earn her further contempt from her twin brother.

"Wrong and right, sister. We may be of the same blood but do not share the same ideals. You care too much for these… humans that you are willing to lend a deaf ear to the plight of our Creator! Our planet is screaming and you are the one driving the knife into her heart!" Naraku's eyes spotted something and he grinned maliciously. "It's now or never, Midoriko! Fight me, or watch your precious civilization burn! _Firaga!_" An orb of black fire shot out from his hands not towards Midoriko but at a couple who had not yet fled the area.

Midoriko's eyes widened before she shot out a ball of crystalline magic, "_Esuna!_" The fireball vanished instantly. "Get out of here!" Midoriko yelled at the couple, who need not be told twice. The White Mage stood straight and faced her brother, whose grin only widened at the sight.

"Brother, the day you were killed I swore that, should a time of peace ever come, I would never again don my armor and fight as a Kamen Rider. The one time that I did nearly broke my heart because I thought it as a desecration to you and what you believed in. You were right to believe that our world was dying, that there was nothing more we could do, but you were a coldhearted fool to think that you could heal it by destroying what was left of humanity. You are my brother, Naraku, and I love you.

"But that doesn't mean I have to like you.

"Execute! Kaiju Spirit Evolution!" Her hand grasped the belt buckle tightly before she was engulfed in a cocoon of light.

"Heh, the feeling is mutual, Sister." Naraku mimicked her motions perfectly with his own cry of, "Execute! Kaiju Spirit Evolution!"

--

The situation was bad, worse than he believed it to be though he should have expected it really. As Kamen Rider Caesar, Shiisa had no weapons but his own strength of will and the Cast-On System, neither of which would work on an opponent like Obisidius. Aside from giving off a burning aura, it was damn near impossible to hit the Crystalspawn without hurting himself. Having rocklike toughness was not a good thing when dealing with a walking magma flow.

Throughout all of this, Serizawa stood at the entryway, his arms crossed over his chest with a sick smile on his face. Whatever feelings he had to his former friend were nonexistent as he watched Caesar's chances of winning diminish with every new minute as the fighting between him and Obisidius continued on. His amber eyes blinked and he stepped to the side to avoid a blast of nuclear fire that crashed into the hulking Crystalspawn's back and sending it crashing face first into the ground.

"Don't you know it's hardly sporting to attack someone when their back is turned… Eiji-kun?" Serizawa turned his head and saw the Black Rider standing not far behind him with an oddly dressed girl standing by his side. "Ah, you have brought help I see. One of those Sailor Scouts, hrrmm? Tell me, Eiji-kun, was it pure chance that you found this one or was it something… more?"

Truthfully, Gojira hadn't wanted Lita to be anyway near at the moment but upon seeing the smoke and hearing the sounds of heavy combat coming from his home, she wouldn't be reasoned with and Eiji, foolishly praying that the inevitable hadn't occurred, allowed her to come. And now here they were, staring at who could possibly be called the deadliest of all the Kamen Riders.

"Stay behind me and do not say a word. He'll read past what you say and find out more than he needs to know." He whispered to Jupiter, receiving a barely seen nod. To Serizawa, he spoke, "She is as much a friend to me now as you were to my father, Serizawa! But unlike you, she won't turn into a backstabbing traitor!"

"Hmm, yes, so I've already been told." Serizawa looked back at Caesar and Obsidius, both having resumed their fight despite the interruption. The Gold Rider was glad his godson had arrived but right now, he was getting more than a bit angry at how blatantly uncaring Serizawa was being with them, as though they were no threat to him and his plans! "Where are the others, Eiji-kun? Don't tell me you've lost track of your soldiers again now. I believe that's cost you many times before."

A time ago, Gojira would have let the seas of despair and self-loathing take him with those words but this wasn't then.

This was now.

"Shut up." Gojira fired another volley of nuclear fire and watched as Serizawa dipped and weaved out the way, even backhanding a few blasts without a mark on his hand to show for it. "Do you really think we are so unprepared as to next expect an attack like this from you?"

"If you were so expecting," said Serizawa, smiling and turning his head slightly to watch Obsidius slowly gain the upper hand, "then where are the others?"

"Taking care of your henchmen." Gojira smirked at seeing the sudden banishment of Serizawa's calm attitude.

--

Gendo looked at the large assortment of items that Serizawa had ordered them to find and bring back to their base. Finding it wasn't an obvious problem, transporting it… now that was a totally different problem, one that required a unique solution.

"Do you think that your… servants can carry all this?" Gendo questioned his female companion.

"Think? Shit, I know so Doc." Legion grinned before opening her mouth wide, wider than any normal human could. Inside her gullet, dozens upon dozens of eyes shined brightly before whole swarms of insect-like creatures dove out of her mouth to crawl over the ground like a living blanket. The creatures pushed themselves beneath the heavy pieces of technology before lifting it and carrying them out the door. Legion followed close behind them, chittering in their language to goad them into going faster while Gendo trailed slowly behind her before suddenly stopping. His hands clenched tightly and he looked beyond the walls of the building to a familiar form of Aura rapidly approaching their location.

"Shiro…"

--

"Impossible. You don't know where they are or who they are. You'd send your squad, to fight an unknown foe?"

"Wrong. We know exactly where they are thanks to these," Gojira tapped the side of his helmet, "built-in police scanners."

"I see." Serizawa nodded but suddenly smiled with realization. "You don't know what I'm planning, do you?"

"Do I care?" returned Gojira, never lowering his G-Force Cannon. "Whatever it is, I know it isn't good and that's reason enough for us to stop you."

"You can try, little grass-cutter."

--

X looked around once more, nodding in satisfaction at the amount left struggling to survive. They wouldn't last long and that was just as he liked it. Pulling the knapsack over his shoulder, he headed out into the streets only to be stopped by a small annoyance. Half of Juuban's finest were gathered there and X didn't need to wonder where the rest were. His pride as a threat was at stake as these foolish humans commanded him to drop the bag and put his hands up.

He did as they ordered, waiting until his hands were completely in the air before suddenly slashing them downwards, his eyes glowing brightly as beams of concentrated gravitational energies shot forth and blew a police vehicle up onto the back of another. Bullets shot through the air with the loud cracking of gunfire as X held up a hand and watched as the miniature projectiles slowed to a stop less than an inch from his masked face. He clenched his fists and watched the bullets fall harmlessly to the ground.

X took up the knapsack once more and continued past the fleeing cops when a thick, cold mist blew in and blocked his sight entirely. He paused and waited for a moment before grabbing the whip at his side and lashing it out into the thick fog. He pulled and was pleased to see Kamen Rider Anguirus pulled in towards him.

Anguirus, surprised as he was, didn't allow X to gain the advantage and raised his fist up and gave a fierce punch that loosed X's grip on his whip and, through it, Anguirus. Sailor Mercury dropped down beside him, her visor on and active as she sought out as much information as she could of the Rider before her and Anguirus.

"Well, this is a shocker…" The Scarred Rider twirled his spiked weapon as he slowly moved so that he was between Mercury and the Skeletal Rider. "I've never seen you before. New on the block?"

X's answer was another blast of gravitational energy, which Anguirus blocked with his force shield. The Scarred Rider grunted with the effort and massaged his right soldier. '_What the hell… Even Aniki's blasts aren't that powerful non-spoken. Who is this guy?_'

"X." The Skeletal Rider spoke with the voice of Death, sending a frightened chill down the spines of Anguirus and Mercury. "Death is your gift."

X raced forward to press the attack.

--

"You've forgotten something, Eiji-kun." Serizawa's smile revealed his eagerness. "Don't you know it's not always about you or me for that matter? I am no fool, Eiji-kun. I've kept my eyes opened to the harsh truths of reality and I am aware of how old am I. Here and now, I am your better but in three years? Five? Maybe not."

"So, you'll kill me then?" Gojira asked. "Didn't you just say it wasn't about me or you, Serizawa?"

"Yes, I did." And he waited, leaving Gojira confused until he realized what the man was speaking of.

"The children are not as weak as you assume them to be, Serizawa."

"Eiji-kun, Eiji-kun…" Serizawa shook his head. "Didn't you father tell you never to lie?"

"No." Gojira growled low in his throat. "But he did teach me one thing. _Atomic Fire_!"

--

"Double damn…" Gigan cursed under his breath. He should have known there was something fishy about this mission of theirs from the start! Bad enough that the three of them were injured, okay Megaguirus not so much but Gigan and his brother were still hurting from their last battle, but here they were facing against a foe that Gigan's would rather not face.

Children.

Oh don't be fooled into thinking there was perhaps a spark of goodness in Gigan's heart for the younglings that he and the others were currently trying their best to kill at the moment. He'd gladly slice open their throats and watch them choke on their own blood given the chance. No, it was the fact that one of these children was far more than dangerous than they ever assumed. Gigan was thankful that, for whatever reason, the First Rider hadn't decided to transform but really, why would he need to when they had their own reinforcements?

"_Uranus World Shaking!_" Megalon was plowed through the wall to Gigan's right.

"_Neptune__ Deep Submerge!_" Gigan felt the blast of elemental energy fly past his left arm and muttered a harsh curse as he returned the attack, silently wondering if Megaguirus was faring better.

She wasn't.

For whatever reason, Rodan was using the hit-and-run aspects of his sword style instead of a single killing blow that the Hiten Mitsurugi Style was famous for. There were no words from him or emotions for that matter.

"What's the matter, Lover?" She purred, leaning in close with her holo-wings buzzing softly on her back. "Cat got your tongue?"

Beneath his helmet, Rodan's teeth continued to grind against themselves. It was all he could do not to go ballistic on the Purple Rider but he had to stick to the plan if he wanted to be… rewarded.

"_Venus Crescent__ Beam Smash!_" A beam of concentrated light sliced through the air and hit Megaguirus straight in the side, sending her screeching and tumbling through the air before she righted herself and glared downwards at the smirking form of Sailor Venus. "Meow."

"Who are you?" Megaguirus was mad, more than she'd ever been. No one but Rodan had ever managed to land a surprised blow on her like that.

Sailor Venus didn't bother answering, "_Venus Crescent__ Beam Smash!_" Megaguirus blurred out the way and shot down towards the Sailor Scout when she suddenly blurred out of the way of Rodan's "_Slicing Hurricane Gale!_"

Megaguirus cursed as she realized just what Rodan had been doing. By keeping himself as collected as he could Rodan wasn't wasting his energy or his speed and by using hit-and-run tactics, he'd serve as the proper distraction for the girl to better prepare her energy attacks, which obviously took time to generate and fire. However, now that she was aware of their plan, Megaguirus would not allow herself to fall for their tricks. Hovering out of the range of Rodan's Primal Blade, she twirled her Drainage-tonfa and called down to the girl.

"That attack of yours is pretty fast, little girl but it won't do you any good if you can only fire a blast one at a time!"

Sailor Venus eyes narrowed as she raised her hand up to her forehead, using her arm to block out the sight of her victorious smirk. "_Venus…_"

"Useless!" Megaguirus blurred right, left, then straight down to slash Sailor Venus to ribbons with her weapons. Rodan wasn't even bothering to—… Wait, what?

"_Meteor Shower!_" The ball of focused light on Sailor Venus' finger blazed brightly before launching a multitude of energy beams, all moving through the air like homing lasers upon the stunned Megaguirus who screeched in agony as she was blasted into the ground by the large assault.

Rodan grinned. Oh yeah, Mina was definitely His and he was Hers. "But that doesn't mean I'll let her have all the fun, _Slicing Hurricane Gale!_"

--

"Can you see anything, Hudson?"

"Depends. Dust count as anything?"

Rini sighed and shook her head, wondering just how this situation had occurred. She supposed it could be traced back to Hudson who, for whatever reason, had gained an interest in sword-combat. To be truly specific, four-armed sword combat and seeing as their mutual sensei wasn't a grandmaster of that martial art, Takuya was rounded up to teach them the basics and see if they had a knack for it. The tall boy only agreed because he was hoping for a rematch with Haruka and, though he didn't actually say it, Rini had a feeling that Takuya was showing off to Haruka like…

'_A little brother to his older sister… Does Takuya see Haruka like that?_' She knew of Takuya's younger sister and what the evil Rider, Megaguirus, had done to her and Rini honestly didn't see Takuya looking for someone to replace her. Then again, the way Takuya treated them seemed less like a sibling relationship and more like student and teacher while his relationship with Haruka was a strange sort of rivalry that he couldn't share with Eiji.

With Eiji, it was all about who was the strongest, the better of two different wholes of opposing sides on the same coin. With Haruka, Takuya had found someone who shared the same ideals, the same hobbies, heck, almost the same abilities as himself. In essence, he had found the perfect rival in Haruka. As for Mina… well, it was actually quite surprising how mature Mina was being about the entire thing.

Rini had honestly expected her to be jealous of Takuya's strange relationship with Haruka but she wasn't. One, Haruka was a lesbian and in love with Michiru. Two, it was obvious that Takuya, while not a fan of the opposite sex, barely tolerated anyone outside their close circle of friends. Three, he was in love with her.

How did Mina know this?

Takuya had told her himself after having kissed her senseless when she had repeated her promise of helping avenge the death of his sister. Rini supposed that it was all rather sweet but still… seeing Takuya acting all romantic with Mina was a bizarre sight to say the least.

Oh darn, she had lost track of her train of thought… Ah, yes, the sword-training. Well seeing as two of his three students were here at the home of the Outer Senshi, Takuya had opted to train them here and was bringing Rini with Mina accompanying him, being interested in watching herself, when they arrived just in time to watch the Enforcer Brothers and Megaguirus begin an assault on the Outers' home.

Takuya had transformed and had all but order Mina to take Rini and make sure she, Hotaru, and Hudson were safe before helping them. He had activated his Cast-On System and had been quick to meet Megaguirus blade to blades in a fierce fury of attacks that was impossible to watch at the speeds the two were traveling. Being dragged inside, Mina took Rini inside and joined up with Haruka in placing them in the basement which, apparently, had been converted into a safe-room.

So here they were out of the loop and benched from the game.

Hudson had no doubts that either he or Hotaru-angel could easily handle the other Riders, but there was a limit to how long either of them could fight and Rini, despite her parentage, took more from her father than her mother in terms of attack power.

Which is to say, not at all.

Not that he'd be foolish enough to say it to her face. He might not be as smart as he should be at his age, but he certainly wasn't stupid.

"I hope Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama are doing okay…" whispered Hotaru.

"Hudson is sure they are." The negatized-eyed boy said with certainty. "They are strong as, as the Godzilla!"

"Godzilla? You mean, that daikaiju that Eiji-sensei turned into?" asked Rini, shivering slightly at the memory. There had never been anything as frightening as that creature. Queen Nehelenia was a rabbit compared to the awesome might of Godzilla.

"Mmhmm," nodded Hudson. "I remembers being… taught of the Kaiju, in case their bonds would ever break. Though It hates me to say this, Godzilla is King."

"King? Of what?" asked Hotaru, having never learned the details. For that matter, neither did Rini, who was leaning forward to eagerly hear what Hudson had to say. Hiding a grin, Hudson told them of what he knew, secretly pleased with himself. He was not told to keep the girls safe but he took it upon himself anyway and, as Hudson saw it, the best way to keep them safe was to keep them distracted from the fighting going on around them.

"Dunno for sure… Japan, the Earth… even Life and Death… but there wasn't a person who disagreed…

"That Godzilla was King of the Monsters."

--

The blazing blue orb of nuclear flame slammed directly between Obsidius' shoulders, breaking the hardened skin and sending it toppling to the ground. Growling, the golem started to rise once more when another voice called out, "_Sparkling__ Wi__de Pressure!_"

A fine discus of electrical energy flew straight into Obsidius' open mouth and down the Crystalspawn's throat before exploded into a storm of lightning inside the beast's belly. Obsidius staggered but refused to fall until Caesar added in his own two cents.

Thanks to the errant destruction throughout the area, the once proud and clean dojo was covered in soot and cooling magma with large holes gaping widely on the roof and ceiling which allowed the acrid smoke from Obsidius' body to flow upwards into the sky and permit the sun to shine. Standing beneath one of these very holes with Sailor Jupiter at his side, Caesar took in as much energy as he could, glowing brightly before the energy pulsed on his form and slowly gathered in his legs. Caesar leapt skyward, one leg out before spinning and dropping his heel directly on Obsidius forehead.

"_Solar Hunter!_"

Obsidius collapsed like a ton bricks though, unfortunately, not literally.

Serizawa, while not too happy with this turn of events, did not too concerned. In fact, he had his back turned to Gojira as he surveyed the damage Obisdius had caused before falling under the combined might of two Riders and a Sailor Scout. He smiled and turned to look out the corner of his eye at Gojira.

"Is this what he taught you? Strength in teamwork?" Serizawa chuckled, "If this is the most you've learned from him I guess I have little choice then." His eyes shifted by a small margin, and Gojira just barely managed to duck from a sword aimed to behead him. Snarling, the Black Rider turned to face—

Himself.

Yet, it wasn't himself. Instead of black, the other was white, and instead of a cannon there was a long sword attached to the copy's right arm. The left arm looked different, slightly more bulky than the right, and the hand seemed odd but didn't look too different. On the copy's back was a strange device whose design was based off a backpack and armed with missile launchers and flight-capable jets. The thing had no bodysuit but a multitude of black and red cords running between the plates of armor. It also stood two feet taller than Gojira and had a stockier build. In essence, it looked like an older version of himself.

"Wh-What the hell is this?" Gojira was stunned at the strange being before him that was, for all appearances, a modified robotic copy of himself but he knew the truth instantly.

"Like it?" Serizawa smiled, turning his back on Caesar and Jupiter, one who was watching in confusion and the other in mounting horror. "I'd like to say that it was I who contributed the most into the creation of Kiryu here but then, I'd be lying." Serizawa's smile turned utterly vicious as his amber eyes glowed brightly. "It's all thanks to your father that Kiryu exists at all."

"Please…" Caesar whispered. "Please God… don't do this to him… please…" Of who he was speaking of, Sailor Jupiter had no idea but she would.

They all would.

"Kiryu, be a friend and take off your helmet." Kiryu turned its head and nodded, handing the briefcase in its hands to the man before reaching up and unhooking the small hoses attached to the helmet on its head. Gases hissed slightly until, finally, the last latch was opened and Kiryu pulled its helmet off.

--

Sailor Moon was on her knees, gasping for air with small cuts on her body and several tears on her uniform. In front of her stood Tuxedo Mask, also looking the worse for wear with his sharpened cane covered in dents. The creature that the two were currently faced against stood unscathed, even grinning, as it stood before them proudly of how it was slowly, but surely, coming close to beating them. Sailor Moon, for whatever reason, how been outclassed from the start. This thing, this Krystalak, was able to dodge her tiara with ease, even managing to catch it and return back with greater force as the downed streetlamps could attest. She had tried for her finisher attack and had honestly assumed that it would be enough to finish Krystalak off.

She assumed wrong.

_FLA__SHBACK_

_Krystalak stood before the onrushing attack, not bothering to move out of the way, and lifted a hand at the incoming shards of crystalline glass. The attack halted in midair and Krystalk paused, tilting his head as he looked over the shards and slowly began to grin before cackling._

_"This, this is the best you can do?" He cackled loudly, moving the shards around him in a serpentine dance through the air. His laughter only increased at Sailor Moon's obvious horror and fear blending together. "For all the power of the Crystal, this is the best you have? How disappointing, I was hoping… for more!" Krystalak moved his arms to shot the shards forward when a rose flew throw the air and impaled itself just between his eyes._

_Roaring in shock more than in pain, Krystalak lost his control over Sailor Moon's attack and the shards cracked to pieces in the air before disappearing completely._

_Tuxedo Mask, the one who had thrown the rose, took his lessons from the Kamen Rider to heart and immediately began to press the attack. There were few that could stand up to Sailor Moon's power and those that didn't for long, but this monster was no such person. It was a force from an entirely different world and though he knew not why, everything that was himself, Darien Shields, Tuxedo Mask, and Prince Endymion, all wanted to see this creature destroyed before it could cause further harm._

_END FLASHBACK_

Obviously, Tuxedo Mask was not successful as he would have hoped and though he knew of the situations going on around the city, he had wished that at least one of the Kamen Riders would arrive.

"So, this is the power of the Other…" Krystalak mused, rubbing a finger along the base of its spiky chin. Its eyes narrowed as it seemingly stared at something unseen by normal eyes before grinning. "Ah, so that's why… Hrmm, kill you now or wait until it's actually worth the energy…?"

A blazing orb of energy shaped like a ring planet was the answer to Krystalak's question. The dark purple energies of the attack met Crystal-covered skin in a brilliant explosion of shards and dust as the Crystalspawn screamed in agony as its side aged and died, turning to dust on the wind.

But still it remained standing.

"So…" it gasped, turning its head to regard Sailor Pluto. "This is your Crystal's power…? Unique… but be warned…" The Crystals adorning its body cracked and broke apart piece-by-piece, falling away into the wind. "You shall not… defeat me… so easily…"

And it was gone with nothing more than a sparkling trail of lights shining away into the horizon to mark its demise.

--

The walls exploded in a blast of plasma fire as Gamera landed in a muffled explosion of exhaust. He looked around slowly, keeping Sailor Mars safe in his arms.

"You can let me down now you know." She spoke more out of duty than actual discomfort. It'd be hard to use any of her attacks with her arms wrapped around his neck after all.

Gamera nodded and wordlessly set her down on her feet. "Stay close," he whispered. "I… just, keep behind me. Please?"

Okay, Mars was really starting to regret ever telling her boyfriend of what she had seen in her last fire-reading. If she'd known it would create such a reaction in him, she'd have never told him! So she had seen a vision of a black phoenix and some strange swarm of insects; that was no reason for Shiro to have act as though she had told him her death was ascertain! He had barely left her side since then and had jumped at every shadow, his eyes blazing to See whatever drew close to her.

Glancing up at him, Mars wondered if he had even slept for he was awake when she went to sleep and in the mornings, she'd find him waiting for her, smiling as always though it was a fake compared to the real smile that he reserved for her eyes.

Gamera suddenly stopped and held out a hand for Mars to halt as well. Gamera's head cocked to the side for a moment before he slowly began to back away from the opposite end of the long hallway.

"Gamera?" asked Mars, confused and worried. Sudden over-protectiveness or not, Gamera was not one to react without due cause.

"We need to leave. Now." He answered.

"I'm afraid you shan't be going anywhere." A cultured voice spoke from behind them. The two whirled around to face an older man garbed in the armor of a Kamen Rider. His bodysuit was a bright red while the armor was a dulled white with a series of strange ridges running down his back. His arms were bedecked with a pair of retractable blades and his helmet was shaped like a tri-pointed seashell which made it appear as though he had but one eye to see. The chest armor and knee guards were bedecked with pulsing blue jewels and his boots ended in cloven feet like a devil's. Beneath his helmet, Gendo smiled.

"Irys…" Gamera's right fist clenched tightly. "You thrice-damned son-of-a-bitch!"

"Really now is that anyway to speak to your old uncle?" asked Irys, idly examining a blade.

"My uncle died the day my cousin passed on," snarled Gamera. "Whatever he was, ceased to exist the day Gabriel had forsaken her humanity and died as a monster."

Irys paused and tilted his head. "Ah now see," he tapped his chin, "that is where you are wrong, my boy."

"Quite so, Irys-sama." This voice was female, soft-spoken and kind. Gamera stiffened and turned slowly, taking in the sight of the Rider that, for whatever reason, Sailor Mars knew meant bad news for them. She, like Irys, wore the armor of a Kamen but was colored a fine ivory over a black bodysuit. She had no hands but a pair of crablike claws and a set of five paired pincers running along the sides of her torso where small red sacs pulsated with light. Her back had a hunch-like appearance like Gamera and had a huge horn growing up and above her helmet-covered head which sported its own horn.

She curtseyed to them. "We are Legion."

"No… Gabriel…?" whispered Gamera.

Legion's cold blue eyes vanished in a blaze of crimson. "There is no Gabriel! Only LEGION!" Energy sparked along the horns of her armor. "And here is where you will finally die, spawn of Genbu!"

The oxygen enriched air of the hallway exploded in a blazing inferno as two armored forms made their getaway knowing that they would have killed but one in that blast but in that one's death the other would fight them driven by grief and rage.

Irys and Legion looked quite forward to let Gamera die knowing that he failed to avenge the deaths of his first and his latest love.

--

Its eyelids were gone, cut away to leave unblinking robotic eyes shining yellow as the lenses took in the world in calculator ways. Its hair was black with tinges of gray along the sides to show its age despite how the hair was obviously uncared for these years past. Thin wires ran between the cheeks on the thing's face to better hold up the jaw where skin had badly degraded. The skin was the parlor of a corpse which was to be expected as it was a corpse that stood before Gojira now. He knew it for what it was despite the horrific changes. He knew the instant Megaguirus came back into their lives that there was a chance and he had prayed that he would be given the chance to see him again.

But not like this.

Gods, never like this.

The eyes stared at him, cold and unblinking, and Gojira was numbly aware that his body could not move further back into the wall despite how much he wanted to get away from the creature before him. His mind was going into overload as his empathic senses turned upon themselves, allowing him to feel his emotions beyond their normal peak.

He wanted to scream, he wanted to do anything that would stop him from gazing at that horrible face that was a mirror darkly of the man he knew, loved, and respected in his heart since emotion was born in his soul.

Raijin Kusanagi.

His father.

Serizawa chuckled at the impromptu reunion he had orchestrated and looked to the horrified Caesar and held up his briefcase. "If you need me, Shiisa-kun, I shall be utilizing my contribution to the Project. Until then, ja na." He turned and walked away.

Sailor Jupiter, torn for between running to Eiji and stopping Serizawa chose duty over love and made to chase the red-garbed man when the supposedly beaten Obsidius suddenly rose up and smacked her aside, sending her careening across the room.

Her pain was the rock that shattered the glass window of Gojira's mounting distress. In an instant, he was in the air and catching her in his arms, his back to the monstrosity Kiryu as Obsidius lumbered off after Serizawa. Kiryu stared first at the Black Rider before turning its sights on Caesar. There was a faint tinge of red before the cyborg corpse replaced its helmet and followed after the Creator.

Sailor Jupiter groaned and slowly opened her eyes to look into the masked face of Gojira. She felt him trembling and wrapped her arms around his neck as tears fell down past Eiji Kusanagi's clenched teeth where blood flowed from where his fangs pierced his lips.

The blood of his father…

--

The police never came, why would they? They had not one but two entire skyscrapers full of victims slain by monstrous means so what reason did they have to come to a home that had equal if not greater tragedy? Those already there moved downwards to the one place that two of the three had hoped, prayed, would have remained untouched. Seeing three of the six inactive K-Zectors missing, the two Riders, now in their human form, could only scream their frustration, both unable to take out their anger and hatred on those who deserved it. Their screams, written down, would make one think they were human but that was not the case.

It was the screams of bloodied monsters, screaming in the agony of defeat, roaring their frustrations to the heavens, and promises that they would not rest until their enemies were completely destroyed.

In the first hour, it was just themselves. Shiisa stood in a corner, unnaturally silent, his face grim. Eiji sat on the floor, his arms wrapped tightly around Lita as her own reciprocated around his neck. She knew the importance of this room and what the theft meant to Eiji. She could offer no words of solace but she could let her actions speak for her. Eiji kept his face pressed into her hair, taking in her scent as a way to keep himself calm when everything in him was screaming for his lack of foresight. Then again, how would he have known that Serizawa would try to steal the K-Zectors of his fallen comrades?

What purpose did that serve besides angering him?

Takuya and Mina were the first to arrive with Venus being carried in his arms, it was no surprise really. The two Outers, Haruka and Michiru, came next with the younglings close behind. The battle had not been won nor lost in their case. For whatever reason, Gigan and Megalon had teleported out, carrying an unwilling Megaguirus with them. Takuya saw the destruction above and, seeing the missing K-Zectors, demanded an explanation but Shiisa's voice was sharp and to the point.

"Wait for the others."

Shiro and Rei came next, with the boy being heavily supported by the priestess. He was covered in burns that were, slowly, healing and his robotic arm hung uselessly at his side, the circuits nearly completely fried. Rei had no explanation and Shiro wasn't talking, saying nothing more than he discovered a new technique. He hadn't missed the absent K-Zectors but he didn't question their disappearance. He knew explanations would be shared between them when everyone returned as planned.

He dared not substitute 'when' with 'if'.

Morisato and Ami appeared slowly, one barely conscious and the other resting in their arms. Morisato sighed gratefully when Haruka quickly took Ami from his arms. He sank to his knees and fell into the black depths of unconsciousness instantly. He never saw the missing K-Zectors but, if he had, Morisato would have felt the tiniest bit of relief seeing those that remained.

A battle-worn Serena and Darien arrived much to the relief and joy of the group. Rini had her arms wrapped tightly around their legs the instant they appeared as Hudson did the same for Setsuna who had followed the Prince and Princess. Shiisa was instantly at her side as well, a hand clutching her own with pained despair. Her eyes questioned his but his bowed head allowed his hair to cover his face.

Silence.

A brief flash of light and Midoriko was there, her clothes looking the worse for wear but otherwise unhurt. She looked slowly across the group, her frown deepening, until her eyes rested on the empty pedestals. Her fists clenched tightly as a tear slipped past her closed eyes. She spread her arms and whispered a hushed phrase. Glowing globes of bell-shaped plants suddenly appeared over the injured who quickly became the healed.

"What happened?"

Stories were shared and experiences remembered painfully. Tears and screams were shared with broken hearts and the younger generations tried to stave back their sorrows by being close to those who shared their hearts while the elder generation looked on in silence. Shiisa and Midoriko stood farther back from the group, speaking in hushed whispers.

"Are you absolutely certain, Shiisa? Would Daisuke go so far…?"

"You know he would the moment he proposed the idea, Midoriko."

"We have to stop him then," she looked pained, glancing back at the group. "All of us."

"We have to, Midoriko. We can't let Serizawa commit this, this sacrilege! We have to stop him from using it."

"The SIN System."

--

Serizawa stood over the three basins, going over the calculations in his head once more to be sure. The measurements had to be precise otherwise this entire fiasco would be for not. Well, not completely as the Kuratas had managed to steal what they were supposed to. Most could reason that maybe it was Serizawa's eagerness to tear down the son of his former rival until nothing but the monster was left but really, that wasn't the case.

He wanted to be sure that the SIN System would work in all its glory.

Making sure that the room was secure and his underlings busy with their tasks, Serizawa gently placed a K-Zector amidst each basin of ingredients. He had been less than satisfied at finding only three of the four he had order Kiryu to attain but had reasoned that, perhaps, there still was a small part of Raijin left in the thing to have disobeyed that order, however indirectly.

"No matter." He said. "We will have to do with these three." Moving to stand back a good distance away, Serizawa spoke loudly. "Priority Thirteen Execution! Initialize SIN Systems. Password: Retribution."

The three K-Zectors twitched, a slow and steady pulse of light shining and growing stronger in them until that light bled onto the substances surrounding them, deconstructing them to their basest of elements before reforming them in the manner required. The process didn't take long and the end results stood before a grinning Serizawa.

Standing to the right was a young boy, at least thirteen years of age, his body having aged despite the gap of time. He had an athletic build, like a track runner, and was made entirely for speed and agility. His bodysuit was colored a poisonous orange to match the red of the armor. From the tip of his skull to the base of his spine ran a series of long sharp senbon needles, each one nearly dripping with poison from lack of use. Strapped to his hips were a pair of bladed charkram, the blades themselves shaped like the fangs of a monstrous serpent. The helmet was shaped like a strange lizard-like creature, the burnished yellow visor held in its 'jaws'. Holding close to his sides were strange, leather like, membranes that, when fully opened, would allow him to glide on air currents.

Standing to left was another boy, aged fourteen, pushing near fifteen, also having aged despite the time gap. His bodysuit was colored the redness of fresh clay while the armor itself was the color of the dried version though easily several times stronger. Unlike the other, his build was pushing more towards brute strength than speed with a muscular upper body for one so young. His weapons were strapped to his gauntlets and allowed for retraction of the three claws jutting out a good two feet from the wrists. His helmet was bedecked by a pair of earlike apparatuses that enhanced his hearing and a large rhinoceros-like horn jutting out from his forehead allowed him sight in the darkness of the underground. He had no visor but a small pair of jeweled orbs beneath the horn on his head while his mouth guard was outlined by sharp fangs.

Standing between these two was a girl, tall for her ethnicity and her age of eighteen years as she nearly pushed seven feet. Her bodysuit was the color of cream while the armor itself was colored the greens of the ocean. Along the outer sides of her forearms and calves was a pair of finlike devices that allowed her better mobility in water. Like the youngest, her back was decorated by a row of sharpened spikes albeit with no poison dripping from their tips. What need did she have for poison when electricity sparked along her form? Her helmet was shaped like the draconic legends of Asia's past, with a crown of spikes jutting back from her face. Her visor, held in the dragon's jaws, was colored blue. In her hands she held a large trident, the tips twice-edged like a serpent's tongue.

Serizawa's grin nearly split his face as he took in the sight of the three standing before him. In a time where their bodies held souls, they were a family but now, as nothing more than empty shells, they were his to command.

"Varan, Baragon, and Manda." He nodded to them each in turn. "Ready to go and conquer what will become our new world?"

The Trinity looked once to each other and, beneath their helmets, smiled.

They were more than ready.

* * *

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_Eiji:_ The final line has been crossed.

_Morisato:_ No more chances.

_Takuya:_ No more trust.

_Shiro:_ No more mercy

_Midoriko:_ They are nothing but criminals.

_Shiisa:_ And we will stop them.

_Eiji:_ No matter what it takes!

_All:_ Execute! Kaiju Spirit Evolution!

The Resurrection Part Two; Strike at their World

* * *


	31. Strike at their World

Me: This is it.

Bahamut: The last few chapters.

Me: Hold on to your seatbelts, boys and girls, this is going to be a bumpy ride!

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

The Resurrection Part Two; Strike at their World

Time.

What is it exactly? By man's definition it is a limited period during which an action, process, or condition exists or takes place. It is a measured object sharing the similarities of a river or tree with many branches of which exists another alternative of such events. To others, it is a circle where major events and conditions repeat themselves throughout history though the scale of weight changes with every new generation. Some believe that to travel through time is impossible, inconceivable, for time is everything.

To travel through time, one also has to travel through space. It's all well and good if you'd manage to transport yourself say, three years into the future but the place in which you were is in a different location three years later and so one could end up stuck in space or somewhere else entirely. To have such mastery over time is to have near virtual mastery over the entire universe for there would be no place one could not go save for two single points.

The Beginning and the End of Time.

For the time of his rulings, the being known as Morpheus never truly considered time as his friend or his enemy. Time was something no creature, immortal or otherwise, could ever escape from but he took it as the value of an immortal. Where a single day was just the blink of an eye and lives lost today were more lives lost later. He never truly became attached to anyone though he, like the guardian of Elysian, was prone to having… favorites… amongst the visitors of his beloved realm.

Morpheus never imagined that a day would come that he'd begun to actually take such risks as this where time had, at last, become his enemy. Breaking through the dimensions was hard enough but to enter these sacred grounds was a feat in and of itself but to find all of them in one place was nothing short of a miracle.

He was quick and to the point. He needed their help in saving those that didn't deserve the fate that was drawing close to binding them. There was nothing that he could do himself as he did not have the means or the knowledge that they held. He asked them, he pleaded with them, to give those deserving few a chance and they, blessed and redeemed, were more than willing to help.

So Morpheus now sat amongst the rafters, a shadow of his actual self in the waking world. He watched as Serizawa arranged the ingredients for a human body in their proper proportions for the three he planned on resurrecting. He held himself back when Serizawa placed the three K-Zectors and began to active the SIN System.

In that instant between destruction and creation, Morpheus made his move.

When it was over and the Trinity stood alive once more, there was no sign of Morpheus or any indication that he had ever been there in the waking world save, perhaps, for a few notes of laughter dying on the wind.

--

"Owie! Big brother, that hurts!" whined Takao, rubbing his bandaged forehead.

Seifer resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "It'd hurt less if you hold still and stop poking it."

In the opposite corner, Obsidius stood like a statute, acting as the sole light source in the darkness of the catacombs beneath the underneath of Juuban. It did not like the constant dripping sounds of water, a claw twitching in rhythm to the beat. Though the creature had no sentience or solid thoughts of its own, it wondered in the expanse of its empty mind, where the Creator was.

"Why is Serizawa making us wait in here?" Ritsuko asked, holding a small compact close to her face as she fixed her make-up with thoughts of revenge against a certain blonde dancing in her head. The make-up was top-of-the-line but while it did hide the bruises from prying eyes, Ritsuko knew it was there and that was reason enough for her to go back out there and kill that Sailor Venus. "We should be finishing Kusanagi's band off."

"We must be patient, Ritsuko-san," murmured Legion, blue eyes shining with… something. "Serizawa-sama knows what he is doing.

Far from them stood Gendo, a large smirk on his face as visions of a broken Shiro danced in his head. Whatever familial ties he had with the boy had long since turned to dust. Next to him, Naraku was having similar ideals with his "beloved" twin sister. Their fight had ended in a stalemate, with neither of them activating their Cast-On Systems. Naraku vowed that the next match between them would be their last.

At the back of the group stood the two silent members of their troop. Kiryu, the cyborg, stood in a state of hibernation, conserving the energy cells within its body for a later time as this day and age had little to offer in terms of fuel. Far from it and the others stood the solitary X, still in his armor, with his arms crossed over his skeletal chest and the lights of his helmet's eyes dark as though he were asleep.

"Hrrmm, seems to me we're missing someone," came Serizawa's voice from the darkt tunnels.

--

_"The SIN System," explained Shiisa. "Was Serizawa's contribution to the KR Project. He had claimed it as being a failsafe as the K-Stones were selective over who could and could not touch them. As you all know, the K-Zectors, being powered by these stones, share that trait and are just as selective. Thus far, only one person has ever reactivated a silent K-Zector after the original holder's demise."_

_"Me." Eiji spoke._

--

The red-garbed man stepped into the light and overlooked his group one at a time. "Tell me, where is the Crystalspawn?"

"We…" Seifer looked at Ritsuko who shrugged in indifference. "We assumed he was with you, Master."

"Hrrm," Serizawa looked up towards Obsidius and his eyes narrowed somewhat. Reaching up, he snatched a chunk of Crystal growing from the golem's shoulder. He stared at it for a moment before smashing it down on the unforgiving ground.

The shards exploded outwards before suddenly stopping in midair and condensing together as a shining red light burst through the ceiling and impacted against the shards. That was the extra incentive that the Crystals needed as they grew and combined into the familiar form of Krystalak.

"It would seem you had some trouble in your escapade." There was no hiding the smirk in Serizawa's voice.

Had he not a great need for the man, Krystalak would have crushed him then and there. "I was… distracted in my hunt. Did you get what you wanted out of this?"

"Yes and much more," smiled Serizawa, who turned to look over his shoulder. "Come in and reintroduce yourselves."

--

_"Because of the unlikelihood of finding another candidate for a K-Zector, most were programmed with the SIN System in case no one could be found." Shiisa said. "Unfortunately, not all of the K-Zectors would accept the programming so only a select few actually posses the SIN System."_

_"But what does the SIN System do exactly?" asked Ami._

_"In short?" Midoriko whispered. "It brings the dead back to life."_

--

Silence before the sounds of footsteps, three in all, echoed in the darkness until, finally, the forms of those once dead stepped into the light. Gasps and wide eyes were abound by those who knew the three in life.

"What, what blasphemy is this?!" roared Naraku. "What have you done?!"

"Why, I've brought some old friends back for a little reunion." Serizawa smiled as he looked up to the frowning Krystalak. "All according to plan."

--

_"The human body is made up of a variety of ingredients; carbon, salt, water, iron, etc. By having the correct amount needed and the activation code, Serizawa has likely resurrected the Urashima family by now." Midoriko said._

_"Is that bad?" asked Morisato. "I mean, they were on our side! There's no way they'd join with Serizawa and his lot!"_

_"They wouldn't but tell me, Morisato-kun," whispered Midoriko. "What makes a human soul?"_

--

"See, now right there is where you're wrong."

--

_"Is it a sense of self? The ability to feel emotions of love, anger, fear, and despair? Is the knowledge of knowing the difference between right and wrong? There is no way to tell and no way to replace it, Morisato. It's impossible."_

--

Varan grinned beneath his helmet. "Bet you can guess your first mistake, Serizawa-teme!"

Baragon crossed his arms. "Bringing all three of us back at the same time."

"Makes our Trinity complete once more," whispered Manda, placing a hand on her younger brothers' shoulders. She began to gain a strange blue-tinted glow. "Hold on to something."

The area was instantly flooded by the waters of the sewer drains and pipes. Roaring in anger, Krystalak slashed a hand forward and was not pleased to see his Crsytals forming a wall devoid of the freshly revived Kamen Riders. He turned to Serizawa who, despite being soaking wet, did not lose his smile.

"As I said, all according to plan."

--

On the rooftop of a skyscraper, one would see three individuals looking slightly disheveled with clothes freshly, ahem, liberated for their services. Armor aside, they were rather chilly in the night air. The oldest, the girl with hair was long as she was tall colored the same as her armor smiled with tears in her eyes of ocean blue. On either side of her rested her two younger brothers. The youngest had his face pressed firmly into her arm, hiding his amber eyes from her and his orange-tinted hair spiky as usual despite its short length. The older brother was not ashamed of his tears and kept his arms wrapped around them both, his clayish red eyes shinging in the darkness. She stroked his shoulder-length red hair and sighed.

Kushinada honestly did not know for how long she had been dead but… seeing her brothers' reactions it could not have been too long and yet long enough. She could not remember her demise but everything else was as clear and precise as before. Still… she did not recall this, this utopia before her!

"Where are we…?" she whispered. '_Perhaps… the better question is when? Ah, Eiji-sama if only you were here with us…_' She had assumed him to be dead if Serizawa and his brood were somehow loose on this strange yet familiar world. Reacting to her thoughts, her K-Zector lit up and revealed a three-dimensional hologram of the city, showing three colored dots where she and her brothers stood and six other dots stood not too far from where they were.

For the first time in her life, past and present, Kushinada Urashima began to feel the faint stirrings of an emotion she'd never believe to feel in her entire existence.

Hope.

--

"So… does that mean we…" Morisato swallowed. "I… don't think I can…"

"We have to," said Takuya, his eyes cold and emotionless. "Better than letting them stay as they are."

"But they were your friends, weren't they?" asked Mina. "You can't really say you'd…"

"We have to kill them." Eiji refused to meet anyone's eyes. "The friends they were we buried a long time ago. They're nothing but a memory now."

"So quick to go down the path of emo-ness, Ryu-aniki?" Came a hauntingly familiar voice from the darkness of the stairs. The Scouts turned, transformation wands at the ready while the Riders immediately stiffened in recognition. Darien pushed himself between the stairs and the kids, despite their obvious desire to help.

They came down one at a time and when they stepped fully into the light, it was a wonder that Eiji didn't suffer from a mental breakdown.

Kushinada, Issun, and Ushiwaka, alive and well once more.

The three were obvious confused with the group the Riders were aligned with but made no comment as Midoriko stepped forward slowly, carefully, lest they turn out to be under Serizawa's control and strike them when they were at their weakest. She waved a hand over the three and whispered a few words before a variety of magical lights shined on the three. When nothing happened, Midoriko nearly faltered but remained steadfast in her resolve.

"What was your last wish?" she asked Kushinada.

"To wait until my family could be whole." Those were the words Kushinada had spoken to her before her self-assigned suicide mission and it was these words that she spoke now. Trembling slightly, Midoriko looked down at Kushinada's brothers.

"How… How did you die?"

"Hell if I know. OW! Neesan!" Waka rubbed the top of his head.

Issun ignored his brother and said, "Last I recall is… an explosion amidst your teleportation spell."

Midoriko had no other questions to ask, not when she was busy hugging the three of them as best she could with three others competing against her. Shiisa shook his head, laughing and crying at the same time at the ridiculous scene before him. Morisato was giving noogies to Issun while Takuya and Waka traded sharp retorts, both smiling at each one-upence. Shiro was clasping hands with Kushinada, his eyes shining with Aura. She shook her head but agreed with his actions. The three looked on to Eiji, who remained where he was, staring at them with a neutral mask over his face.

The three moved to stand before him and stared him in the eyes for a long moment before kneeling down and bowing their heads. "Orochi Squadron reporting for duty!"

Eiji blinked in surprise before taking a long shuddering breath of air. "… Welcome back…"

Things were slowly beginning to look up.

Amazing how fast it would soon fall into oblivion…

--

"Pardon the interruption of your regularly scheduled programming but I have an important announcement to make. I am Professor Daisuke Serizawa and today, I'll be conducting an experiment. One of my grandest ones yet as a matter of fact. You see, at ten locations throughout this area of Japan are my soldiers. I'm sure you've heard of them, they're the ones responsible for yesterday's attacks after all as I was in need of some supplies. What have you called them? Ah yes, the 'Dark Riders'. How quant.

"Anyone willing is quite welcome to try and stop us if they are so eager to die. Rest assured ladies and gentlemen, the effects of my experiment will have no mark against you. Tomorrow, now that's another story. Let's get this started shall we?"

--

_"This is Connie Matsu of GWN reporting to you live from the base of Tokyo Tower, just one of nine points across the large area that self-proclaimed Professor Serizawa has claimed a part of his "grand experimentation". Eyewitness accounts combined with what's occurring now conclude that Serizawa is indeed the man responsible for the attacks on SmartBrain Corporation and Juuban Labs yesterday as his accomplices are indeed the feared "Dark Riders"._

_"There have been no sign of the Sailor Scouts or the Kamen Riders and most fear that reports of their demise are true. We can only hope it is the contrary."_

--

"No. Absolutely not." Eiji glared at them all in turn. "We can't fight like we have been, just… jumping in headfirst! We need to play to our strengths or we will lose."

"But if we wait here, there's no telling what those ba—… jerks could do." Haruka ignored the whiplash sound from Takuya in favor of pleasing her partner.

"Serizawa is a analytical genius." Eiji stated. He looked towards the Urashima Siblings. "He would not have brought you back without a back-up plan."

"Please, you think he honestly considered the idea of us getting our souls back?" asked Waka.

"We're in a world where a group of girls tap into elemental magic that makes them on par with our own power without the Cast-On System who have also lived in an ancient kingdom whose capital was on the moon long destroyed by an ancient evil to be reborn in this time." Morisato smiled somewhat humorously. "I think he'd cover all his bases."

"Touché." Issun whispered to his younger brother, who scowled at him in response.

--

_"Wait, wait… Yes, I'm receiving a report from our camera-crew in the Bunkyo District. Yes, yes, it looks like Sailor Uranus and… who is that? Another Rider?!"_

--

"We don't know where there are or where they'll turn up next," said Eiji, "but we have to be prepared to fight them two-against-one and I mean that literally. As of right now, I'm assigning you all to a partner and, with that partner, a designated target."

Haruka repressed the urge to sigh. She was not one to take orders, especially from a kid almost two-years her junior but she and the other Outers respected him for a reason. If Setsuna could trust Eiji's judgment than so could she.

"Issun, I want you to be partnered with Haruka. Your target will be Megalon."

Then again…

"Say what? Why do I get stuck with the midget?" asked Haruka. Issun, contrary to his muscular stature, was nearly the same size as Hotaru, just barely taller than her despite his older age. The boy's red eyes looked positively murderous for a moment before the relaxed air came back to him.

"Troublesome woman…" he muttered, earning an angered glare from Haruka.

"As Baragon, he's a tunneler and can follow after Megalon and force him to the surface where you can use your close-combat techniques in tandem to at least damage him enough to get him out of the armor if you don't feel up to killing him." He ignored the looks the Inners gave him and each other as he looked to Michiru.

--

_"Another confirmation! This one in the Kanagawa Prefecture! … Yes, yes, it appears Sailor Neptune is also accompanied by an unknown Rider! Does this mean that the Riders and Senshi have a plan against Serizawa and his forces?!"_

--

"You and Kushinada will target Obsidius. Your aqua powers should be able to work against it and destroy it with ease."

"Should…?" whispered Kushinada.

"It is a Crystalspawn," admitted Eiji. "It won't go down easy.

--

_"This just in…! We're receiving reports from the JSSDF of a low-flying object approaching the old Edogawa from the west. Our cameras are unable to get a decent picture but with some enhancements… Yes! It's been confirmed ladies and gentlemen! Rodan and Sailor Venus are pressing the attack on Megaguirus!"_

--

"Takuya, you will get Megaguirus provided you take Mina as your partner."

"What?! But, she, Ritsuko will—"

"If what you said is true, Mina's attacks are the only ones to keep up with your speeds. She can keep her on edge long enough to finish her off." Takuya nodded, not too happy with taking Mina straight into danger like this. He'd rather take someone he didn't like which, unfortunately, wasn't anyone here.

--

_"We're also receiving reports of another low-flying object approaching the Shibuya… Perhaps our eyes-in-the-skies can—WHOA! Holy moly, did you see that?! Gamera and Sailor Mars!"_

--

"And I, Little Brother?" asked Shiro.

Eiji looked at him for a long moment. "Irys or Legion. You can't have both."

"… Irys. I am the best suited against his Sight."

"Good. You'll need it with Rei at your side." Shiro stiffened and looked to protest this when Eiji interrupted. "Your right arm is barely repaired, Shiro! At best, she can provide you cover from a distance and raise the odds in your favor. At worst… well, she's a pyrokinetic right? She'll be fine."

Shiro sighed and backed off. Rei didn't look as concerned about herself though her eyes did stray with worry at her boyfriend.

--

_"What the—What's that there coming right TOWARDS US!" A girlish shriek and a roar of a motorcycle before Connie's disheveled face appeared once more in front of the camera. "You saw it for yourselves folks! It looks like Anguirus and Sailor Mercury will be taking on the leader of the Dark Riders, Serizawa!"_

--

"What about me, Aniki? Who will I take on?" asked Morisato.

"With Ami… Serizawa himself." That immediately arose a lot of loud protests until Eiji roared for them to be quiet. "Look, in his armor, Serizawa can create a spray of micro-oxygen which kills whatever it touches. Morisato's force-field powers should prevent such a thing. As for Ami, her powers rely entirely on ice and as such, she is the best choice against him. Cold temperatures are Serizawa's only true weakness."

"I… alright, Aniki." A hand brushed up against his scarred eye. It took him a moment to realize it was his own. Clenching it, he steadied his resolve to the task at hand and listened as Eiji continued on.

--

_"Our camera-crew over in the Setagaya have confirmed—Wait, am I reading this right? It couldn't be… but it is! The infamous Sailor Saturn also accompanied by another new Kamen Rider! This one appears to be close to her age, does this mean that the leader of the Riders is sending kids in to do the job for him?!"_

--

"Hudson?" Eiji moved to kneel down before the boy. "Do you remember what I said? About the kaiju inside your K-Zector?"

"It's not about taming the monster but becoming one with it, sharing its thoughts, its feelings, until there is no us but only me. Right?"

"Exactly. I won't lie to you, we desperately need the strength of Kishin and Saturn here… If I had any real choice in this, I'd have you remain behind where it's safe." _For you_ was left unspoken but it was heard nonetheless.

"Just tell us who, Ryu-sensei." Hotaru said. "We'll win, no matter what!"

"… I suppose that is the case now isn't it?" Eiji spoke more to himself than to her. "You two will face Gigan. He might be trained as an assassin but he has an honor code longer than the Great Wall. He won't use his full strength against you and I doubt he'd win if he did. Just remember your training and don't showboat this. Go in and finish him off."

"Hai, Ryu-sensei!"

--

_"This just in from the Minato District… yes, another pair of kids! This time it's Mini-Moon and… another new Rider?! They're coming out of the woodwork today folks! Still, he doesn't look anywhere as old as the others if his size can be used as comparison, and they'll be facing one of the raiders from the SmartBrain Homicide!"_

--

Eiji stood and looked over to Waka and Rini, before sighing to himself. "You two… will take Legion."

"WHAT?" this roar came not from the group but from Shiro himself. "Eiji, have you lost your mind?! She's too dangerous for—"

"Soldiers that are both trained under me, Shiro." Eiji interrupted. "I know their limitations better than they do."

"Do not," muttered Rini and Waka together, rubbing a nonexistent sores.

"I'll admit that Rini lacks… firepower as Mini-Moon but she's inherited her father's ability of distraction and she will need to keep Legion unbalanced while Varan presses the attack."

"Can I kill her?" asked Waka, ignoring the stunned looks he was receiving from the girls. "I haven't had time to create another paralysis poisons and my armor is only equipped with the toxic stuff."

"Shiro?"

"… The Gabriel I knew died the instant she activated the BioMerge System." Shiro stared hard into Waka's eyes. "I'm trusting you to lay her body to rest, Waka."

"You won't be disappointed Kame-san."

--

_"Wait, wait… yes… Really?! Well I'll be folks! I'm now receiving a report that Sailor Pluto and the Gold Rider, Caesar, are in Nerima and are now starting to engage X who is, as I'm sure you know, the one who single-handedly killed over fourty people and wounded several dozen police officers. His victory over Kamen Rider Anguirus and Sailor Mercury makes me wonder if, perhaps, Caesar and Pluto can really beat this guy."_

--

"Shiisa-sensei. You and Setsuna will handle this X guy. He doesn't use weapons like you but he's just as strong as anyone of us. What style of combat did he use, Morisato?" Eiji looked to the scarred boy.

"I have no idea… it wasn't any combat style I recognized. Seemed like half the fight was spent in the air then on the ground."

"Aerokinetic?" asked Waka. "Like me or like Takuya?"

"Neither. It was more like… like he was manipulating the gravity around him…" Morisato shuddered. "That guy… that guy reeks of death. Be careful, Sensei."

--

_"Even with these added forces that still leaves—Huh? Are you sure? It's the one from that time…? Alright, alright I believe you, jeez! I've gotten another confirmation, this time from Akishima. It's Sailor Moon and Mosura! Hopefully, these two can stand up to the aptly named Black Mosura!"_

--

"Midoriko—"

"I will handle my brother alone, Eiji-kun." Midoriko interrupted. "I refuse to put anyone's life in danger because of my mistake."

"It wasn't a mistake to give Naraku a chance, Midoriko," argued Shiisa. "It was his to ruin his last chance…"

"You two are Yin and Yang," said Eiji. "Neither of you will gain an advantage over the other on your own. Take Serena with you."

"What? Me?" Serena gulped, "But, I can't do magic…"

"No, not yet you can't," agreed Eiji. "But I've seen you Serena. If there was any one element to call your own, yours would be Light and it will be the Light from the both of you that will defeat Naraku's darkness." He looked towards Darien. "You however… there's nothing I can say that'll make you change your mind?"

"… You trust him?" asked Darien, looking towards Waka, who looked insulted to be questioned by a guy in a tuxedo.

"If I didn't would I really let one of my students go with him on a fight for life or death?"

"… I stay with Serena."

"Alright, but keep to your strategy. Step in only when it looks like they'll be overwhelmed and get out just as quick."

--

_"That still leaves the—Wait…! Yes, alright. You're sure it's him? Okay! This just in folks! Gojira and Sailor Jupiter have been spotted heading straight towards Tokyo University! Oh my, oh my, this is going to be an exciting day today folks! We'll try to cover all the action as best as we can but with nine climatic battles going on all at once all around us, we can only hope to catch some of the fighting and pray that the Enforcers of Justice and Love are the victors!"_

--

"Wait a minute, what will you be doing, Kusanagi?" asked Takuya.

"… Lita and I will be taking care of Kiryu."

"What?" Shiisa gasped. "You can't, Eiji! He's your… he was your… my…"

"It is a monster created by Serizawa in the image of my father. Whatever ties it has doesn't matter. Raijin Kusanagi is dead. End of story."

"Ano… Eiji," said Lita. "Do you really think you can… kill him?"

"I have to."

"I'm confused here," said Morisato. "You mentioned Kiryu but why is he so important to you? That you have to be the one to fight him?"

"… Kiryu is a cyborg," said Eiji. "Made from the body of my father."

"No!" gasped the female Riders. Issun and Waka looked green at the thought and Morisato was horrified and pale as a sheet.

"What?!" yelled Takuya. "Raijin-sama!? Kusanagi, you can't really—"

"I can and I will, Yashima." Eiji growled at the taller boy. "That thing is not nor will it ever be my father. To think it otherwise is a sacrilege against him and what he stood for!" He looked over the group as a whole and took a deep breath.

"I won't sugarcoat this. If given the choice I want you to go for the kill. Mercy is an unknown concept to them and none of them will hesitate in killing you or anyone else who'll stand in their way. For now, rest and prepare yourselves for when Serizawa and his band finally show their faces we will make sure it is the last time they are ever seen!"

--

"Do you think you can really hold your own?" whispered Sailor Uranus as they silently sneaked up behind Megalon, who was distracted by the strange device that stood imbedded into the ground beside him.

"I'm as positive as your name fits you." Baragon whispered back before disappearing underground with a cloud of dirt and dust. It took Uranus a moment to fully understand what he meant but when she did…

'_I am going to castrate that kid._'

Baragon felt a shiver but continued tunneling through the dirt and stone, moving past steel pipes and electrical cables. When he drew close enough, he stopped and stared wide-eyed at the earth in front of him.

"Kami-sama… what are they trying to do?" No, he didn't have time to think about that now. With a shake of his head, Baragon continued burrowing further until he could feel that idiot Megalon was right on top of him. He pulled back his Orochi-Claws, now aglow with geo-energy before slamming them up into the roof of his tunnel. "_Strike of the Orochi!_"

--

"These hotsprings don't normally like this, no?" whispered Manda. Beside her, Sailor Neptune grimly shook her head. The famous Hinata Hotsprings had seen better days. The water was no longer steaming and was colored a disgusting shade of green and yellow. Obsidius was merely standing there beside a strange device that seemed to be the cause of the disturbance in the hotsprings.

"After you," said Sailor Neptune.

"If you insist." Manda leapt high, twisting her body and bringing her Orochi-Tongue to bare, "_Scream of the Orochi!_"

Thunderbolts rained down from the trident and startled the creature but otherwise did not hurt it. Growling, Obsidius hurled a blob of liquid magma from its fanged mouth, which Manda dodged with ease. Grimacing in disgust, Manda charged straight towards Obsidius as Sailor Neptune released her attack from behind.

"_Neptune__ Deep Submerge!_"

--

"Go back to Hell, bitch!"

"Only if you come with me, Lover." Megaguirus smiled beneath her helmet as she and Rodan clashed against each other in midair, their COS on and active. Rodan dodged a forward stab and parried with a barrage of slashes from his sword. The Crimson Rider tried to coerce the winds to his side of the battle but whatever device that Megaguirus was guarding was affecting the environment around them.

Rodan suddenly stopped and closed his wings with and audible snap and fell towards the ground as a glowing chain whose links were shaped like hearts wrapped itself tightly around Megaguirus torso. She activated her hyper-speed the instant the chain was pulled downward and ended up crashing into the ground and creating a ditch several yards long.

"Get up from your dirt nap, bitch!" roared Rodan, diving down after her. "We're not finished yet! _Slicing Hurricane Gale!_"

--

Irys stood with his arms crossed and his Cast-On System activated. The pale red holograms adorning his back was a double pair of long tentacles whose tips were armed with arrowhead-shaped points. The Old Rider looked up and a tentacle stretched upwards and knocked a blast of plasma fire into a nearby building.

"Did you think you could sneak up on me so easily, Shiro? I'm disappointed." Irys turned and smiled at Seeing Gamera standing far from him with his right arm twitching ever-so-slightly. "It seems you were injured in more ways than one in our last encounter, nephew."

"Nothing more than a flesh-wound, Uncle Gendy."

Irys visibly twitched. "Do not call me that. You lost that right long ago."

"Really, Uncle Gendy? Do share with the class!" yelled Gamera. "Tell us how you forced your own flesh and blood to activate the BioMerge System against her will for the sake of beating me in our combat training! We were at war for our very lives and you let your pride of your brother's success as a doctor turn you into a monster, Uncle! It's because of you that Gabriel is dead and the daikaiju Legion now remains in control!"

"SILENCE!" Irys roared, sending all four of his tentacles soaring through the air towards Gamera. "_Gaia Destroyer!_"

"_Flaming Barrage!_" Gamera kneeled down as his Terra Blaster charged for the attack and Irys, still pressing his own attack forward, felt shock fall atop him like an anvil as Sailor Mars aimed her attack and released it.

"_Mars… Flame Sniper!_"

--

"It is pushing," grunted Kishin, his hands, both real and holographic, gripping his head tightly. "It wants out, Angel!"

"Will you be able to gain control?"

"Ye-Yes… if you are here, I can do anything…" Sailor Saturn blushed and pressed her lips to his cheek. Kishin stiffened and looked to her in astonishment, the daikaiju inside him suddenly silent.

"For incentive." She said, remembering how Michiru would convince Haruka to do something. "Let's get him."

"Let's!" Kishin cried and charged forward with a animalistic shriek. Gigan whirled at the sound and did a double-take at the sight of the two children charging towards him. A flash of emerald light and he teleported out of the way of a "_Silence Glaive Surprise!_"

"Children?! This is who I am expected to fight against?!" Gigan raged. He knew he was not the strongest in terms of physical strength but, damn it, he was a master assassin! He could kill a score of people without breaking a sweat and in a single blow to boot! He brandished his scimitars and snarled. His honor was stained beyond repair with this, this treachery!

But…

If Serizawa wanted him to kill a pair of children then, to regain his honor, Gigan would gladly do so! Two small compartments opened up in his chest. "_Assassin's Creed!_" Before a pair of bladed discs shot out and soared through the air towards Sailor Saturn and Kishin!

--

"So really, you hair is that natural color? I mean, you don't dye it or any other shit like that?"

Mini-Moon repressed the urge to smack Varan upside the head for two reasons. First, he was her partner in this and second, those spikes looked really sharp.

"Yes, it is now quit asking me!"

"Alright, alright, geez. Damn tempermental girl ain'tcha?" Varan leaned forward and looked down and around the corner of the ledge he and Mini-Moon were currently resting on top of. Legion was conversing with a swarm of her insects as the machine she was guarding beeped quietly beside her. Varan narrowed his eyes and felt the strangeness in the air.

"What are you doing?" Mini-Moon harshly whispered into his ear. "We should be stopping her!"

Varan looked back at her. "Hell, if I didn't know that already! Unlike you, I know how dangerous she is. See that horn on her head? She can create a forcefield with it that's stronger than Anguirus' and can fire a blast of energy that can cut through almost anything, including our armor."

"How do you know that?" She asked.

"Shiro's arm. How do you think it got cut off?" He looked back at Legion, totally ignorant of Mini-Moon's surprised face. "Now's our chance! Let's go!" He leapt skyward, the membrane of his armor allowing him to glide upwards on winds unnaturally blowing through the street as his mass control allowed him to lighten his body enough to soar. Twisting his body in a tight circle, Varan threw his Orochi-Fangs downwards towards Legion with a roar, "_Bite of the Orochi!_"

--

Serizawa opened his eyes slowly and smiled. "Morisato. How surprising. I'll be honest by saying I was expecting somehow more… trustworthy? Yes, I believe that is the proper word. And you brought a friend too, tell me, will she share Espiga-chan's fate too?"

Anguirus' grip on his Ankylo Hammer tightened and his force-field became even stronger, nearing complete opaqueness. "Your madness ends here, Serizawa."

"No," Serizawa reached to his wrist. "I don't think it will. Execute! Kaiju Spirit Evolution!"

"WAKE UP!"

The cocoon enveloped the man and broke apart quickly. Standing before Anguirus and Sailor Mercury was the only true ultimate weapon of any kind. A weapon armed not only with sentience but the ability to be several times as destructive as an atomic bomb. Garbed in a matching blood red bodysuit, the armor was shaped rather like a demonic crustacean with sharp bony spikes jutting out from the shoulders and a strange chest armor shaped like a flower bud. The helmet was shaped like the head of a demon with sharp bony frills jutting out from the sides and amber visor glowing in its 'jaws'.

"KAMEN RIDER DESTROYAH!"

Destroyah reached up and pulled on the horn attached to his forehead, pulling out a strange hilt in its shape but otherwise leaving the horn where it was. A hiss of burning air and Destroyah was now armed with his deadly combat weapon, the Laser Katana.

"If your lifes are so worthless as to throw them away needlessly," said Destroyah, his armor releasing small puffs of micro-oxygen. "Come and let me be your executioner!"

--

Gojira walked in a large circle, following Kiryu's steps perfectly. In the distance, Sailor Jupiter watched with growing unease. She had been told by Gojira, ordered is more like it, to stay as far from the battle as she could as he had no idea what the cyborg could do and didn't want to risk drawing its attention to her. For now, she was to place her focus entirely on the device that Kiryu was guarding but whatever the cylinder-shaped machine was, it was heavily protected. Even her _Sparkling Wide Pressure_ did little to the forcefield that kept it safe from harm, so all she could do is stand on the sidelines and watch as Gojira fought what would be one of the hardest battles of his entire life.

For now.

"So tell me, did Serizawa program you with anything? A voice? Self-awareness? An A.I. perhaps?" asked Gojira, his clenched fingers trembling. "Do you even know what you are?!"

He was distracting himself, he knew it and he knew that Kiryu knew it too.

Without a word, Kiryu's sword sparked with electricity before charging forward to press the assault on the Black Rider. For the majority of the battle, Gojira remained on the defensive, dodging and blocking any blow that came his way with the ease born from familiarity. The cyborg was either programmed with his father's style of combat or it knew of it on its own. He didn't quite care which.

"_Atomic Fire!_" Kiryu had gotten used to have its opponent's defensive maneuvers and thus was not prepared for a point-blank blast of energy at its face. Stumbling back, the cyborg clutched at its face, smoke blocking it from view for a moment. Gojira didn't hesitate in delivering a heavy spin-kick to the torso and sending Kiryu flying back into a wall. The Black Rider started to move forward when a blast of energy shot out from the cloud of dust and struck him in the chest. The moment the energy hit him, Gojira realized that it wasn't electricity that powered Kiryu and its weapons.

It was maser energy, the one and only type of energy that was harmful to all kaiju, even Godzilla.

Roaring in agony, Gojira fell to one knee until the energy cut itself off via a burst of lightning. Kiryu, free from both the wall and his melted helmet, turned its empty gaze towards Sailor Jupiter, who still sparked with electricity. Glancing once more at Gojira, it surmised her as the greater threat and started to move to the assault.

--

Sailor Neptune rolled out of the way of another blast of magma, the hotspring steaming behind her and Obsidius roaring in utter rage and agony, it left arm gone and in pieces scattered throughout the battleground. There was no actual stone for the Crystalspawn to feed on to regenerate the limb save for the stones that made up and bordered the hotsprings, which Obsidius could not go near for fear of further damage to its body.

"Cast-On!"

"CAST-ON!"

A flash of light from behind the beast and Manda, who was already taller than most women were capable of being, stretched taller behind it, much to Sailor Neptune's initial shock. However, another look made her realize that the Aquatic Rider wasn't getting bigger, she was raising herelf up higher into the air thanks to the monstrously long, serpentine tail that began from her lower body though her legs still remained albeit covered with holograms of reptilian flippers. The tail's tip was covered by a large, leafshaped fin and the spine was covered in the same bony spikes as her armor.

"CHANGE OROCHI-SEA!"

Manda twisted her holo-body tightly like a coiled spring, her trident sparkling with power that stretched down her arms and the length of her holo-tail. She sprang forward with a scream of, "_Snake Twister!_" her Orochi-Tongue at the fore. Obsidius whirled to face this new threat and had time enough to lob another mass of magma upon Manda, who blew it away with a blast of the damaged water of the hotsprings. The water twisted around Manda, forming a sharp arrow's point before it, along with her trident, impaled Obsidius directly in its Crystalline heart.

The magma-beast screamed its deathrows before crumbling into pieces of harmless rock. It could no longer serve its Creator but at least it could 'die' knowing its job was complete.

Its Creator would return!

--

"_Thor Bursting!_" Baragon dodged the lightning blast with ease.

"Is that the best you can do, Megalon!? My sister hits harder than that!"

Megalong screeched in rage. "SHUT UP, HORN-BOY!" He charged forward, his Drill-Bits spinning only to be slammed in the side by Uranus' _World Shaking_ attack. Using the dust for cover, Megalon started drilling into the ground but while the dust might have covered him from sight, it did nothing for sound and Baragon, hearily him easily, reached down and turned the K-Zector on his belt.

"Cast-On!"

"CAST-ON!" A burst of light and Baragon was armed not only but the natural claws of his Daikaiju Spirit but its head as well. Shaped like a sort of reptilian bat with shovel-like ears and a shining horn that matched the hologram's ruset red glow, the head roared despite Baragon's head making no such noise.

"CHANGE OROCHI-EARTH!"

Baragon ran forward, into the dust cloud, roaring. "_Pyro Burst!_" The jaws of his holo-head opened and a geyser of fire burst into the cover and Megalon was expelled out onto the otherside, squealing in pain and fright from the flames. He landed at Sailor Uranus' feet, who glared down at him with an emotionless face. Megalon looked up at her and, beneath his helmet, his eyes widened as Sailor Uranus' jewel-encrusted sword pierced the K-Zector adorned to his neck.

Energy crackled through Takao's body, roasting it as the K-Zector died, taking with it the life of its holder and the Spirit Stone of the Daikaiju within.

Sailor Uranus stalked past Baragon, who had not yet deactivated his COS. "He was a psychopath," he said. "He had no sense of what was right or wrong even before he received his K-Zector. All it served to him was a means to add more to his 'playing'. Had we a way of taking it off him, he might have been granted leniency, but that is impossible. The only way to escape the grasp of the kaiju is through death, or so I had assumed."

"… He was still a child," muttered Uranus.

"Perhaps," agreed Baragon. "But he did kill several more and for what? Because they insulted him. Now, come on. We've got to see if we can destroy this device…"

--

Legion's swarm lay decimated around her. The bodies were either cut into mincemeat or so heavily poisoned that touching them with one's barehands would mark a similar fate. She was not happy with this as her blazing red eyes attested as she launched blast after blast of energy at the soaring Varan.

"We'll kill you! We'll kill you till you're dead!!" screamed Legion.

"Like you've haven't done that before!" yelled Varan, dodging another of her _Magne Cutter_ attacks and launching back with his own, "_Bite of the Orochi!_" The alternate move to this attack sent forth concentrated blades of wind containing minute amounts of the fear toxin his Orochi-Fangs held. It was no where near what Rodan could do but it was enough to have Legion screaming in rage.

As Varan swooped past the roaring Insect Queen, leading her away from the device she was guarding, Mini-Moon quickly made her move. Leaping down from the ledge with a loud battle cry, the Scout-in-Training landed on the startled Legion's back and quickly began to tie the long rope of steel around the Queen's Horn, Legion's sole defense and offense outside of her swarm. Varan landed lightly on his feet and twisted his K-Zector around.

"Cast-On!"

"CAST-ON!" A flash of light and Varan stood slightly taller than before on a pair of velociraptor-like legs, balanced by a long, spiked tail whose tip was armed with a stinger that looked similar to the rattle of a rattlesnake albeit covered in sharp poisonous spikes. "CHANGE! OROCHI SKY!"

Varan ran forward, faster than before, his Fangs spinning on their own in the air as they followed his hands' movements. "_Toxic Reign!_" Mini-Moon took that as her cue to get out of the way as Varan suddenly curled into a tight ball and, with a sound like a buzzsaw, rammed straight into Legion with the two Fangs cutting away at her Queen's Horn.

She screamed in pain and rage as she was pushed slowly backwards until she was slammed into a wall. Varan ceased his attack and bounced back from her to land next to Mini-Moon who found that he was now two feet taller than her, much to her chagrin.

Silence… not a stir from the rubble that Legion was buried under.

Suddenly, eight long whips of crimson energy shot forward from the pile of rubble. "_Absolution!_" Not expecting this, Varan initially didn't dodge but merely kissed the ground, pulling Mini-Moon along with him. The energy whips flew through the air and hacked a stray car into fine pieces, the edges hissing from the heat of the whips.

"Oh fuck me…" muttered Varan.

--

"You know, you're pretty good. You know every combat move I know, some that I don't," said Caesar as he parried a blow from X. "Tell me, Mystery X, just who are you really?"

For most of their fight, it was Caesar that did the talking, trying to trip up his foe, to get some sort of reading on him as a person but X was no such person as to be read easily. Even Sailor Pluto, busy as she was with trying to get past the machine's force-field and shut it down, found it hard to gauge what type of person, or perhaps even creature, this X was.

Neither the Gold nor Skeletal Rider gained any advantage for long in their quarrel and Caesar was beginning to grow concerned. Few could match, or outmatch, him in the martial arts, and of those few only one was still alive. He wondered, just briefly, if this was another Rider brought back from the dead. The idea sickened him and nearly cost him the balance of the fight as images of what his friend, his brother in spirit but not in blood, had been torn from them and turned into a monster.

The two fighters leapt back from each other and stood calmly, neither looking too out-of-breath from having fought nonstop for well over an hour now. X tilted his head slightly and, for the first and last time, he spoke.

"I am your executioner."

--

Sailor Moon stood as far as she dared from the upcoming battle between two powerful magic-users. She'd never willingly admit it but she knew that her skills in the modern educational system were lacking somewhat. Okay, maybe severely but when it came to magic… not the magic she needed or used but, whether it was her, Sailor Moon, or maybe even Princess Serenity, Serena could always, if only innately, sense the magic within other people and now, as Sailor Moon, she could see the power of the two Riders with great ease.

Mosura still appeared as normal as before, her caterpillar-styled armor appearing as threatening as the creature it resembled while her brother, he who called himself Battra, was nothing of the sort. His armor was black and edged with yellowed spikes and did not look 'cute'. Terrorfying would be a much better term with the gleaming red eyes resting beneath the gleaming white jewel that was the size of Mosura's three combined. His helmet was decorated with a 'crown' of horns as well and, unlike Mosura, he held no weapon on his person.

Honestly, he didn't need one.

"We've had this dance before already, sister." Battra said, completely ignoring Sailor Moon despite what he could sense in her. '_That Light… it's blinding…!_' He scoffed. "Are you so unsure of yourself that you won't use your power to the fullest?"

Mosura wished she could talk sense to her brother but he was the only one of Serizawa's band that had no machine to guard and without solid proof, he'd never believe her. "I wish it didn't have to come to this, Naraku… but you leave me little choice." She slowly reached down towards her belt. Battra grinned beneath his helmet and did the same.

"Funny, I can't say the same! Cast-On!"

"Cast-On!"

"CAST-ON!!" The two did not create a sudden flash of light but, instead, were surrounded by large cocoons that hid their forms for but a moment before they shattered like glass revealing two whole new warriors ready to combat against the other.

"CHANGE!"

"YIN!"

"YANG!"

There was no better words to describe the two now as they both stood as living avatars of Light and Dark, of White and Black Magics. Where both were once caterpillars they were now Imago, butterflies now evolved for their purpose of keeping and destroying the peace of this world.

Mosura's armor had become as white as freshly fallen snow, her hair flowing down her back and between the large wings colored in shades of red, yellow, and black. Portions of her armor resembled the garb of a battle mage more than a Kamen Rider as she stood there with a shining golden staff armed with seven rings. Opposing her, Battra stood as black as the darkest night, his eyes and horns being the only true color he wore aside from the large, serrated wings colored the redness of blood edged in yellow lightning. In his hands was a scythe made of obsidian wood and a sickle as long as Sailor Moon's forearm.

The two stood staring at one another for a long moment before suddenly taking to the air with the names of spells chanted on either side as Light and Dark challenged each other for dominance once again.

--

Gigan stumbled slightly. For a moment, he assumed it was from lack of energy since he did use his teleportation more than he thought he would with the two children that were, with every lasting moment, growing more deadly and less tiresome than he initially assumed. No, he still had enough energy for several more so then why—

'_Takao. Something has happened to Takao!_' Gigan knew right then that he could no longer afford to listen to his honor or his orders. His brother was in trouble, possibly worst, and he needed to help him!

"Enough of this!" Gigan teleported behind Sailor Saturn and punched her in the back of the head, knocking her down and onto the unforgiving ground. He raised his swords high and with a cry of, "_Assassin's Creed!_" started to bring them down when the massively large holo-hand of Kishin knocked him away.

Gigan made a mistake hurting Saturn, a mistake made worse by attempting to kill her.

A mistake that would be his last.

Kishin had no words to speak, only guttural roars as his extra holo-limbs reached down and lifted Gigan high into the air. The snap of his spine breaking was louder than the roars of pleasure from the Berserker, who took no hesitation in pulling Gigan apart limb by limb while Saturn lay unconscious, oblivious to it all while instead the mind of the monster, Hudson urged it onwards until only the remains of Seifer were all that were left scattered through the area. The discs that beheaded the Silent Killer before Kishin had proceeded in breaking and tearing him to pieces laid soaking in their weilder's blood, a type of poetic irony that Kishin could not comprehend as he currently was.

The Berserker gazed down at the K-Zector in silent wonder for but a moment before lifting up a large hand and slamming it down, shaking the earth. "Good… riddance…"

--

Kiryu stood motionlessly before Sailor Jupiter who laid flat on her back and glaring up at it in sheer defiance. It had calculated her weaknesses perfectly and had executed its attack against her flawlessly while Gojira struggled to overcome the direct blast of maser energy. Kiryu now stood over her, one metal-platted foot pressing down on her stomach with his sword alight with maser energy as its eyes saw not Sailor Jupiter but another person for but a moment.

It paused then but stirred out of its reverie upon hearing Gojira struggling to his feet. Knowing what was needed to be done according to the Creator. Gojira had finally gotten to his feet only to see Kiryu stab his weapon down.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

Gojira's K-Zector jerked violently, twisting about itself before spinning once, twice and setting itself firmly down upon his wrist. "Initiating… Hyper System!"

"BURNING GOJIRA!"

In that instant where a youth who turned his suffering, his rage, into an almighty power comparable only to the flames of Hell itself did things really begin to change for both better and worse. The pain of the high temperature of the armor as well as the apparent loss of his love caused Burning Gojira to scream like he had never before, a sound that was a mix of himself and the monster inside his K-Zector.

The instant the sound was received by its audio sensors, something stirred within the circuitry of Kiryu's mind, its glowing yellow eyes turning crimson for a long moment before being overwhelmed by the yellow light. Its finger pressed a command on its sole robotic limb and the force-field surrounding the device died as several wires suddenly rose up from the machine and attached themselves to Burning Gojira.

Red lightning arced between the machine and the Hyper Rider as the device drained Burning Gojira of his energy and sending out a signal across to the others of its kind.

--

Destroyah hissed in amusement at Anguirus and Sailor Mercury. He had to admit, had they better ground to work on they would have easily beaten him but while the Spiked Rider was a master at maintaining perfect balance, Sailor Mercury was not, which Destroyah used against her at every opportunity.

He was marginally tired and his armor was moderately damaged but he couldn't really bring himself to be afraid. These two had nothing compared to the power of the one who brought Destroyah and his ilk to this world. Destroyah idly noted the faint breeze on the wind and saw a beam of crimson light shining upwards towards the heavens, followed by several more.

He smiled grimly beneath his helmet. "It seems my time as the dungeon master is over, Morisato. My role is now dmoted to being a mere general in the next game."

"There won't be a next game, Serizawa!" roared Anguirus, charging forward to strike when Destroyah jumped into the air, batlike wings sprouting from his back. The Spiked Rider looked up at the Destroyer in shock. '_BioMerge?! Impossible!_'

"Look to the light, Morisato and you will find someone far worse than even I." Destroyah said.

The beams of light, ten in all, bent in the air until they met in a single united point high above. The wind abruptly changed as Krystalak burst from where he laid hidden in the device that Destroyah was supposedly protecting, screaming in victory as a tear appeared just above the joined energies. Upon contact, there was an explosion unlike anything ever felt in this world but was so disturbingly familiar to those not from this one.

Sailor Mercury activated her Mercury Computer but yelped in shock as the device was destroyed by attempting to gauge the sheer amount of power gathering high above them. Anguirus already knew that, whatever this was, it would turn out to be worse than Badiyanu, Nehelenia, and Destroyah combined.

How ironic that he'd be only half right.

The energies died down, the machines either destroyed by the power or by other means, to reveal that the creature known as Krystalak was gone, replaced by another. He wore the armor of a Rider, colored the blue of sapphires with a bodysuit of rubies. Marring his back was a collection of shining Crystal-shards with a single proud one jutting out from his brow. He wore no helmet for he did not need one, his hair being as sharp and deadly as actually Crystals on his pale blue-skin. Gleaming orange eyes were alight with mad delight as they took in this world known as Earth not for the first time, at least in this dimension.

He was different now, different than when he first appeared, but the shape in which he took, a mockery of a great man and a greater friend, spoke volumes of what he truly was. It made so much sense now, how could no one have seen it? Because no one suspected that this creature was still taking breath albeit in a different plane of existence. It didn't matter now. The Riders, no, the entire world would soon know the truth.

Space-Godzilla had returned to life.

As a Kamen Rider.

* * *

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_SG:_ I will admit that, before, it was about revenge against that beast, Godzilla. Who cares if I had to destroy several billion lives to do it? I go on a trip across the universe, wiping out any civilization that bothered me and I come back to find a supposedly dead world suddenly rich with life? Inexcusable, that's what it was! But that is neither here nor there. You see, I've got my eyes on a different kind of prize. Let me see, what is it called now…? Ah yes… Crystal Tokyo…

The Resurrection Part Three; Strike at their Future

* * *


	32. Strike at their Future

Me: It's coming, it's coming!

Bahamut: The last chapter is almost in sight!

Mewtwo: I forsee its arrival!

Poupoko: Coming soon!

Me: Heh... heheheh... Hahahaha...! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (Cough, hack, cough) HAHAHA!

* * *

**A/N: Anyone who can guess the inspiration for Space-G's Rider name shall henceforth be declared a literacy-genius! ... If they aren't one already...**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

The Resurrection Part Three; Strike at their Future

Rodan knew the instant the crimson light burst upwards into the sky that something bad was going to happen. He knew it even before the device that the bitch Megaguirus had been guarding reacted in conjunction with the light and every form of plant life withered and died with several blocks of the machine, even those no longer taking root in the earth. Rodan felt a shiver running through his spine but he ignored it in favor of keeping Megaguirus' number of escapes strictly down to two and preventing a third.

He'd be damned to the deepest, coldest pit in all of Hell before he'd let her escape him a third time!

Rodan's eyes narrowed into razor-tight slits, parrying blows with Megaguirus and dodging pot-shots made by his partner, his mate, in her attempts to aid him and hinder the Supersonic Rider. She knew his moves too well as he did her and she had the advantage of mobility while he had slightly greater speed, but speed mattered not if he couldn't land a hard enough hit on her and with his Cast-On System activated for so long, he was bound to run out of time before she did!

He remembered a story of his ancestor, the one whom his family's ancient reversed-blade sword was named in reverence for. Of a man who succeeded him as a hitokiri and attempted to overthrow and take over the country ten years later. He utilized a style of combat similar to his ancestor with one minor difference. The Primal Blade was edged in a similar fashion to this man's sword and having grown curious of the Daikaiju he represented, Rodan found a unique little detail.

Creating a giant gust of wind, Rodan pushed Megaguirus back into a blast of "_Venus Meteor Shower!_" and flew back, sheathing his sword and concentrating every ounce of ki, the energies of the warrior, into the edge of his sword's sheath. His holo-wings started flapping faster but he maintained his distance from the ground. For a brief instant, it looked as though the head of the animalistic Samurai of the Skies had appeared above Rodan's own, letting out a fierce shriek, before it disappeared.

Rodan's eyes opened wide, burning brightly, before he shot forward, twisting like a corkscrew through the air and unsheathing his sword with a vicious roar, "_Wildfire Tornado!_" As the serrated edge of the Primal Blade ran along the sheath, sparks flew and increased in magnitude until Rodan's spinning form was engulfed in a burning tornado of flames. Megaguirus was too stunned to start dodging upon seeing the new ace in Rodan's sleeve and when she finally started to, it was already too late.

Like a drill composed of flame, the Wildfire Tornado slammed Megaguirus into the ground and continued pushing her down until the flames dissipated revealing an exhausted COS-less Rodan and Megaguirus missing a large portion of her torso.

"That… was for my sister… and this…" Rodan brought his blade up. "IS FOR ME!" He slammed the Primal Blade down onto her K-Zector.

Even with her lungs badly damaged, Ritsuko found a way to scream as the armor, nay the creature truly known as Megaguirus, turned against her as it struggled to maintain its feeble hold on life, sucking every ounce of energy, blood, and life that Ritsuko had until all that she was become dust on the wind. Her death wasn't enough and the K-Zector of Megaguirus shattered to pieces, the Spirit Stone held within it vanquished for all eternity.

Rodan fell to his knees looked over to Sailor Venus as she slid down into the crater he had created. "I… don't think I could do that… a second time…" Gods, he was so tired… The Cast-On System had timed out from that desperate and foolhardy move of his and Rodan wouldn't be able to activate it for another hour, if he didn't collapse before then.

Sailor Venus kneeled down beside him, placing a hand gently on his shoulder. She looked up to the sky, where she could see the crimson lights bending down and stretching towards a center point. Tokyo Tower, she realized. "I don't think the worst of it is over…"

"No…" Rodan sighed, lacking his usual anger and soundly strangely tired. "It never really is, is it?" He stood slowly to his feet. He started to move forward but stumbled slightly. Uncaring if he disliked her for it or not, Sailor Venus took his arm and wrapped it over her shoulders so she could support him. Rodan looked at her and though she could not see it, smiled at her in a way that he hadn't smiled in a long time. "Thank you… Mina-chan…"

'_Aishiteru…_'

--

"_Flaming Barrage!_" A shower of plasma-energy flew through the air only to be knocked away towards the sky and buildings lining the city street. Irys, while not too proud of this fact, would willingly admit that he had fallen for Gamera's initial trap perfectly and had allowed his rage to take control long enough for his nephew's "partner" to hit him dead-on with her most powerful attack.

If he wasn't so used to dealing with deadlier attacks, Irys would have died instantly.

As it was, he proved to be as stubborn as his nephew when it came to physical pain and whatever limits his body had for itself. Irys didn't believe in limits and had likely passed his long ago as he met blades for holograms against Gamera.

"You've, gotten better, haven't you, boy?" grunted Irys, slightly surprised that Gamera had managed to catch the blades in his bare holo-hands.

"Can't say the same for you. Mars!"

Irys cursed and leapt skyward, dodging a hailstorm of burning rings of fire. He hovered in the air for a long moment before he realized it was not his power holding him up. He smiled then began to chuckle before he began to laugh uproariously. He had Seen the cause and It was beautiful.

"You're too late!" Irys laughed as he and his quarry were lifted higher into the air and being pulled through the skyline towards Tokyo's Tower. "He is here!"

--

"Bad move, bad move, fucking bad move!" Varan yelled as he ran up along the wall of a skyscraper with Sailor Mini-Moon being held bridal style and screaming as her carrier dodging energy whip after energy whip from the Rider turned berkserker. Legion virtually flew along the ground as she lashed the Absolution whips after the Sky Rider, the personality consisting of nothing but rage and hatred for anything that breathed which made Varan and Mini-Moon very tempting targets.

With his arms otherwise occupied and Mini-Moon's added weight to his own, Varan couldn't glide up into the air and out of Legion's reach, which seemed to get longer with every second, nor could he use any of his other weapons aside from the Orochi-Fangs both of which were currently strapped to his waist. His COS was, thankfully, still active and gave Varan an extra burst of speed against the slower moving Legion but her whips made up for her lack of agility.

"Can't you blast her back or something?!" yelled Mini-Moon, aware of Varan's ability to control wind.

"Unlike Rodan, I can't create gusts of wind just by thinking it! I have to use actual movements for it to work!" Varan yelled back.

"Well then, fly before she turns us into Swiss-cheese!"

"Do I look some like freaking rocket?! I'm like a flying squirrel, damn it! I need to be able to stretch my arms which are currently busy carrying you, Pinky! Aw shit!" Varan flipped over another jab from Legion's Absolution whips and bounced off a skyscraper towards a light post, hoping to use it as a spring to gain some height over the enraged Rider. His eyes widened as he realized too late that they wouldn't make it and they'd fall right into Legion's waiting grasp.

Varan braced himself for a large amount of pain, wondering what deity he must have ticked off to have earned a second chance at life only to get it snuffed out so quickly, when he realized they wasn't any pain. Or ground for that matter. Looking down, Varan saw that both he and Mini-Moon were floating off the ground and Legion was starting to float upwards as well, her eye-shaped goggles a normal shade of blue despite the ominous red glow of the jeweled Absolution on her forehead.

Varan had only one word to say that best described the situation that was occurring.

"SNAFU."

--

"_Holy Light!_" An aqueous stream of shining light.

"_Darkness Flare!_" A blazing dark inferno of hellish fire.

Both very powerful spells in their own right, made specifically to combat against those of the opposite spectrum to such a fine degree that, upon contact with the other, reacted quite violently to each other and exploded in a neon burst of rainbow light that sent their casters down towards the ground.

Battra cursed in several old languages as he pushed himself to his feet, using his scythe as a crutch while his sister did the same with her staff. "You have gotten bolder, Sister!" he yelled to her. "You've never used such destructive magic before!"

"Brother…" Mosura whispered, "Have you grown so deaf that you cannot feel this… this agony?! Can't you feel the earth screaming for justice!?"

"That's exactly my point, Sister." Battra's Staff of Thanatos gained an unearthly red glow. "I CAN!" He charged forward roaring as Mosura brandished her own Staff of the Cosmos and flew towards him, tears in her eyes.

This would be the final blow between them.

Throughout this fight, Sailor Moon stood on the sidelines watching with growing despair as brother and sister fought in mortal combat against each other. Light and darkness clashed before her and Sailor Moon finally realized the truth of both life and death, the shining stars of the Light and the encompassing shadows of the Dark. There was no such thing as good or evil between them for neither could survive without the other. Where there no shadows when there was no light to shine? Was there no light where shadows covered all?

Though she did not know it, Sailor Moon was watching two sides of the same creature battle against each other for the death of the other. The daikaiju that powered this two powerful magicians were both born from the same mother and from that mother they both shared the same Grandmother; Earth. It was their mother's duty to protect the earth but with her demise came their birth and from their birth came a division.

One to protect Earth's people and One to protect Earth's nature; both sharing a duty to the Earth but differing when it came to the same view. The Earth was screaming, crying in despair not just from the physical pain of the machines draining her but from the needless fighting between her grandchildren.

It was up to Sailor Moon to make them realize what they were doing. To themselves and the planet they both swore to protect the instant they accepted the K-Zectors of Mothra and Battra.

She started running, faster than she ever had before, coming between the two onrushing forces of power screaming with all her might for them to stop this.

Mosura's eyes widened but the attack was already underway, there was nothing she could do to stop it. Battra's own narrowed in glee, he didn't care if he killed Sailor Moon. To him, she was just another human harming the life-force of this planet, something that needed to be destroyed.

It should be noted that while this Earth was not the same that derived the Daikaiju or those that used their power, this was not an Earth that was unknowing of them or what they were to her and to the people and animals, the plants and waters. She knew what was coming, what terrible force was approaching to kill her and those whom she loved.

In a time long ago, she had watched the union between her Prince and Lunar's Princess. She had watched them die and be reborn here, on her soil as a once grand kingdom fell to dust in Time's hourglass. It was beyond her or Lunar's abilities to save them and the Silver Millennium and it was beyond them to step in now.

But that didn't mean neither was unwilling to try.

Above and beyond the atmosphere, the pearly light of the moon reached a new zenith for just an instant, creating a small tiny beam of light that'd reach only one place in the system. The three it struck shined for just a moment and it seemed as though nothing of great importance could happen.

How utterly wrong to assume such.

In that instant, the Earth screamed like never before, her pains, her sorrows, her hopes and dreams, her love, everything that she was rested in that scream and only a select few were blessed with hearing it. The Crystal-shard imbedded in the back of Battra's neck shattered like glass and it that wondrously painful moment of clarity…

He heard.

Sailor Moon blinked, suddenly aware of the arms wrapped tightly around her waist, arms that she recognized instantly. She didn't know Tuxedo Mask had gotten there so fast and she didn't care really. At first, she had been angry that he would dare to throw his life away for her when she suddenly realized two important facts.

They were both still alive.

And Battra was currently staring at her.

"Uh…… hi?"

He ignored her in favor of looking more at her prince and his by default of whom and what he was. Mosura, unsure of what had happened and a little disoriented from the suddenness of Tuxedo Mask's appearance into the fray and the sudden freshness of the air, slowly moved around them to gaze at her brother.

Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when Battra, her brother and self-proclaimed hater of all human life, fell to one knee, his head bowed and his scythe held in a way to show respect to the two children. "I, Naraku Mihara, Kamen Rider of Battra, proclaim my service to you, High King of Earth and… to you as well, High Queen of the Moon. Call when you have need of me, ask what you will of me, my magic, and my service, are yours."

"Brother…?" Battra winced slightly and glanced up at Mosura for just a moment before suddenly looking skyward. He saw the beams of red light growing in intensity and the faint forms flying through the air under a power not their own.

"We must go to the Tower!" he said, rising to his feet. He looked torn between Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. With another shiver, he looked to his sister. "Take… I…" He swallowed back his pride. "Will you please help me… Mido-nee?"

Beneath her helmet, Midoriko's eyes grew wet with tears. It had been years since he had called her that and she knew what he meant by it. "Of course… Nara-nii."

--

He remained standing on nothing but open air, testing the feel of his humanoid body and, below, those that had witnessed his rebirth stared up at him, taking in his familiar yet different shape. His bodysuit was colored like fine wine of proper age while the armor was a shade of blue like skin unable to take in breaths of air. His bore no weapons save, perhaps, for the large Crystals growing out from both his shoulders and the glowing horn atop his forehead. His visor was colored like blood and gleamed in the light.

Seemingly satisfied, Space-G's eyes fell down towards those standing at the Tower's top. His attention was brief with the two Riders but upon seeing Sailor Mercury, he began to chuckle, a sound so eerily familiar to someone both Riders knew. He raised his hand and the Scout found herself hoisted up into the air, a light glow surrounding her body. She gasped in shock and blushed as she held down her skirt, much to the Former Daikaiju's amusement.

(**I can see it… yes, I can… and soon, what was yours shall become mine.**) His voice was nothing like Eiji's, as to be expected as he did not take from him this form. It was his father's voice, could and distorted, sounding like glass being broken or ice forming over the earth. It was an unforgettable sound.

"Let her go!" roared Anguirus, ready to leap up and smash Space-Godzilla with his Ankylo Hammer, telekinesis be damned! He knew he didn't stand a chance on his own, but this was Ami's life and that was more important than his own.

"Hrrm?" Space-G looked down and smirked. "Ah yes, His little spike-backed friend…" He frowned, suddenly looking up and realizing he had no time to play. The machines draining the earth of its energy would not last much longer and soon, this world would be plagued with another ice age.

Placing Sailor Mercury aside, Space-G raised up both his arms high with the horn atop his head glowing brightly. From across the prefectures of Tokyo, Riders and Scouts alike were being hoisted up into the air and brought to the Tower except for those that could not be touched by his power. Space-G frowned but suddenly smiled as he felt their strangely rapid approach.

'_Seems like the little bug has grown some wings…_'

They arrived in groups, those that were alive and those that were barely so. None of the Dark Riders slain by the Kamen Riders were brought to the Tower. In his way of thinking, those that could die twice did not deserve to die a third time. When the last of them arrived, including the insects hovering outside the group he held so easily with his telekinesis did he speak.

(**I am sure most of you are now intimately aware of who the real puppet-master is. If not, allow me to alleviate your confusion. I am what your race once called Space-Godzilla but seeing as I no longer where the form of a Daikaiju, allow me to rename myself.**

(**Call me Kulutues.**)

"You…" Caesar growled, his hackles rising. "You're the one responsible for the Crystal Incursion!"

(**Guilty as charged.**) Kulutues nodded. (**I wanted revenge against that beast, Godzilla for destroying my physical body all those years ago. Imagine my anger at finding that not only was he dead but that life still continued on your measly little mud ball.**) Kulutues beckoned with a finger and the unconscious form of Eiji Kusanagi floated to him. (**Now imagine my surprise when I felt Godzilla's return in the body of a human…**)

"Don't you touch him!" yelled Sailor Jupiter, holding onto her bleeding side. Kiryu floated beside her impassively, the face of Raijin completely blank. It hadn't killed her but it hadn't left her uninjured either. It merely followed the orders it was given by the Creator.

(**I believe you are unaware of the position you and your friends are in my dear so I shall let that pass. I'm sure you Riders are aware of my battle with the Monster King and how, hardly a year later, he met his own destruction via a power overload?**) The Riders did not bother with a response, not that Kulutues expected any. (**That overload came from the assimilation of my power. The Second absorbed too much and too quickly for his body to properly augment into itself but his son… Ah, now that's another story for another time. Either way, I am here thanks in no small part to your dear, dead friend Raijin.**)

The cyborg in question didn't bat an eye but Mosura and Caesar both looked to Kiryu in confusion. (**With his installment of the Hyper System I had a way of regaining a new, more powerful body. However, the fool never thought to use it. Eiji here is another story… The first time, I was informed that he, at least, was still alive. The second, I was able to find a close proximity of where he had landed, and the third… well,**) He waved a hand at himself. (**The results speak for themselves.**)

"So… you got your damn body back…" wheezed Rodan, still exhausted from his last battle. "What next? You plan on killing us so you can turn this world into your own little Crystal palace?"

(**Funny you should mention that…**) Kulutues chuckled as he looked first towards Sailor Pluto. (**I will admit that, before, it was about revenge against that beast, Godzilla. Who cares if I had to destroy several billion lives to do it? But that's neither here nor there. You see, I've got my eyes on a different kind of prize. Let me see, what is it called now…?**) Then he turned his attention towards Sailor Mini-Moon. (**Ah yes… Crystal Tokyo.**)

He cackled at their stunned/horrified looks and brought Mini-Moon close. (**And you my dear shall lead us there!**) Kulutues raised the frightened Scout high into the air, ignoring the screams of rage and commands for him to stop until Mini-Moon hovered just a meter beneath the onrushing energies from the generators. Kulutues' visor glowed brightly and the dark crimson energies twisted tightly as Sailor Mini-Moon screamed in agony as the Crystal Rider pushed his way into her mind to find the exact time in question.

In the distant poles, the ice that had been slowly melting over the years of man's steady rise, and subsequent destruction of the planet's ecosystem, suddenly hardened and began to spread like a cold shadow across land and sea. It was not a natural ice but it did the same as the true version of it, freezing all that it touched into a state of suspended animation but even keep frozen many would not survive the centuries, not without the lights of the Silver and Gold Crystals gone from their world.

Kulutues' mad laughter was the last sound heard in the dying world before he and those nearest him were taken away to a whole different time and place.

--

"Eiji…? Eiji, sweetheart, please wake up…"

'_I'm dead… I have to be…_' That was the voice of his angel speaking to him and Eiji knew he had to be dead in order to hear her now. '_… Funny, I don't recall pain being a part of the deal with being dead?_'

He groaned and opened his eyes slowly, meeting a familiar pair of shimmering emeralds. He smiled, slightly dazed. "Am I in Heaven…?"

Tears fell from those familiar eyes as a nostalgic smile graced those lips. "Not quite, Eiji… not quite…"

"How are you feeling?" He blinked in confusion. The voice sounded like Lita's but… how could… he looked to his right and saw his other hand was being held by…

"Lita…?" Looking closer, he saw that this Lita was his own, in her natural form while the other was garbed in the guise of Sailor Jupiter and looked to be slightly older, probably around Setsuna's age. For whatever reason, he couldn't feel her emotions with his empathy but he could see the strange form of despair and longing in the older Sailor Jupiter's eyes.

'_… Oh I can't wait to hear the explanation behind this._'

--

"What… the… FUCK…!?"

It was probably not the most eloquent thing to have been said in this situation but, ironically, it seemed the best choice of words from Waka as he stared, open-mouthed, at the older Scouts standing opposite of them and their younger selves.

"This… is too much…" moaned Takuya, palming his face, ignoring the strange looks Sailor Venus was giving him. Like she wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. He couldn't understand why and this was serving only to tick him off further.

Morisato was silent as he stared first at Ami then at Sailor Mercury back to Ami again, both flushing slightly under his strange scrutiny. "You've still got it." He grinned, blushing slightly and silently remarked how some things never change after seeing the bluenettes' reaction to the praise.

Shiro remained silent; his eyes closed to better disguise his Sight. What he was Seeing didn't make much sense to him. The Scouts were strong yes but the girls were much stronger now then their older counterparts, even Serena and Darien were stronger than… what were they called… Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion.

Hudson was staying close to Hotaru and not saying a word though he was a bit confused. Where was Saturn in this group of Sailor Senshi and why were Uranus and Neptune so… cold… He didn't know but he didn't like it.

The Elder Riders stood behind the younger ones, with Shiisa standing between Midoriko and Naraku, shooting the dark twin a distrusting glare that was completely ignored. Midoriko was stunned by the sheer beauty of the palace they were in, despite it being made almost entirely of crystal, and Naraku… He was actually smiling. Why or for what reason, he would not say.

The Urashima siblings, having only gotten the basic story from the girls and Riders, were on edge by being inside a large palace made of crystal rock as to be expected since their mutual enemy had finally made himself known.

Speaking of…

"So let me get this straight…" grumbled Eiji, holding a hand over his eyes. "The cause of the Crystal Incursion turns out to be the former Daikaiju, Space-Godzilla who somehow found a way to reconstruct a body in my image using the life-force of the earth and the energy of the Hyper System as well as using my student here as a way to open a tunnel to this time and transport us all here?"

"Yes," nodded Neo-Queen Serenity nodded.

"Alright… and, so far, it's been confirmed that Megaguirus, Gigan, Megalon, and Obsidius are all dead?"

"As a doornail." Takuya grinned savagely.

"… I need aspirin…" moaned Eiji, feeling his headache worsen. His empathy was working once more but it kept… well, fritzing out on him. "I'm almost scared to ask this, but where the hell are we?"

Rini, having been busy hugging the legs of her parents suddenly blinked and stood back to look up at them. "Yeah, where are they? How come you never told me about Ryu-sensei and the others?"

Neo-Queen Serenity looked torn and looked up to her husband for guidance but he looked to be just as torn as she. None of the other Scouts looked comfortable with topic either.

"They're dead." Sailor Mars spoke abruptly. "Today is the day they die."

--

Despite the helmet over his head, Kulutues managed to broadcast the savage grin on his blue-tinted face. This future was far better than he had ever imagined, ever dared to dream it would be! His soldiers, those that remained alive during their battles with the Kamen Riders and the Sailor Scouts kept their reactions to themselves and continued to stay in their Rider forms.

Irys seemed in awe of the surroundings that looked so much the polar opposite of what their world had been. Legion merely stood beside him glaring out towards the palace, her Queen's Horn still damaged and a faint sound of buzzing insects coming from her chest cavity from time to time. Destroyah stood silently beside Kulutues, his arms cross over his armored chest with wisps of micro-oxygen flying from the vents in his armor. Kiryu stood behind them all, the face of Raijin blank as a clean slate with dead eyes looking out towards the crystalline city. The mysterious X stood behind them all, clearly sickened by the sight of such life surrounding them.

'_This is far better than I thought it would be…_' thought Kulutues. His eyes fell upon the Palace and his grin became tinged with a mix between lust and hunger. '_But it's not enough…_'

--

The Riders were obviously shocked by this and the girls did not look much better. In fact, they appeared worse as several of them suddenly grasped the hands of their boys, fear and concern in their eyes. Even the unflappable Setsuna found her hand gripping Shiisa's tightly for the sole reason that her future self was nowhere to be found though she had a pretty good guess as to where she was.

Neo-Queen Serenity shot Mars a reproachful look that softened slightly at the heartbreak that was obvious in the woman's eyes. "Though I had wished it to have not been so abruptly spoken, Sailor Mars speaks the truth."

"Aw, you gotta be shitting me…" moaned Waka, this time not earning a smack from his sister. "We just came back and now we gotta die again?"

"How?" Shiro swallowed the lump in his throat. It explained so much, Rini's sincere lack of knowledge when it came to them. They were never here in this future with her. "How do we die? Can't we stop it?"

"It is preordained." Sailor Pluto appeared out of nowhere, standing beside her Queen with eyes that even her past-self flinched at her dead eyes. "We warned you of this the last time and it changed nothing."

"Ah, excuse me for asking but isn't that technically impossible?" asked Morisato. "I'm no master in the knowledge of time and space but wouldn't something small have changed, even slightly?"

"No. Nothing has changed."

Even being distracted by having Hotaru wrap her arms tightly around him, pressing her face into his shoulder, Hudson dared to ask, "Where is Saturn?"

Pluto's eyes turned into chips of ice and she turned to Neo-Queen Serenity. "I will wait at the Time Gates to send our younger selves back to their past." She vanished as quickly as she had come.

"Okay, I'm getting ticked off here," growled Takuya. "How the hell do we die, god damn it?!"

A crash from the end of the hall, crystals shattering and hovering in midair. A familiar group stepped into the hall.

(**I believe I can answer that,**) spoke Kulutues.

"You!" Eiji started to reach for his K-Zector, a move mimicked by his fellow Riders, when he and the others were thrown back by a blast of telekinesis.

(**Down, children. Your new god is about to make his ascension.**) He floated forward and landed before the younger generation of Sailor Scouts. He smiled as they gripped their transformation wands. (**That won't work.**) They ignored him and called out for the transformation only to remain as they were. Chuckling in pleasure, Kulutues shook a finger at them as though reprimanding a small child. (**Silly fools, did you honestly think that I can be overthrown by the likes of you? You all fail to realize the truth; your Planet Crystals are strong but my Crystal is dominant over yours. Just as it always has been since its creation all those eons ago.**)

"Wh-What's he talking about?" grunted Naraku, pushing himself up only to be slammed back down by Kulutues' telekinesis.

(**Still confused, humans?**) Kulutues sighed sadly, shaking his head in disappointment. (**Allow to be perfectly frank then.**) He turned his eyes upon the untransformed Serena. (**You alone should know of me perfectly well… My Queen.**)

The Future Scouts flinched but stayed back, knowing what was to come next for their future to survive.

Serena looked confused but then understanding began to dawn on her face as the eyes of her friends fell upon the brooch resting on her chest. Her hand clasped it lightly, looking both horrified with the idea but she couldn't really deny it for even with her limited knowledge on such things, she knew it to be true. "You… You're the…"

(**Silver Imperium Crystal.**) The horn on his brow glowed brightly with silver radiance before a compartment opened on his chest revealing another familiar Crystal. (**Joined together with the Golden Crystal.**) He laughed at their gasps and their feelings of shock and horror at this revelation. (**And soon, I will become a god by joining together with my alternate selves.**)

Darien gasped and clutched at his chest while, beside him, Serena did the same but that did not stop the forms of the two Crystals appearing before them. Kulutues grinned and beckoned for the Crystals to come to him. (**Come my Brother, my Sister. Join with me and, together, let us create our own law, our own chaos. Let us become a living god!**)

No one dared to breathe, the only sound being the winds generated by the presence of the Crystals of Order and Chaos. The Dark Riders stood back, knowing better than to interfere while those also from the past could only watch helplessly. The Future Scouts stood back, believing in their knowledge of the outcome of what was to occur.

The Crystals hovered before their holders and seemed to look to one another before focusing their entirety upon the Space Rider. For the first and last time in history both forgotten and remembered, the Crystals spoke.

"**_No_**."

A burst of Chaos' fire and Order's light and Kulutues was sent flying through the air, past the stunned Dark Riders and out the gaping hole he had created upon entry. Fearing for their Master's life, they followed after him as the Riders rose warily to their feet. A glint of light reflected off the Crystals, giving an air of smugness unbecoming of them before they disappeared back to where they'd lay in rest until their power would be needed again.

"… Did we just win?" asked Issun.

--

"Master, Master are you well?" asked Legion, receiving a deep growl for an answer.

(**Kill them. Kill them ALL!**) He roared, his voice shaking the ground. The Dark Riders looked to one another for but a moment before they eagerly complied with their Master's order save for X who remained by Kulutues' side. (**Help me… to the tower…**) Kulutues was drained, far more than he thought he could be by the Golden and Silver Crystals.

X looked skyward, towards the tallest tower of the Crystal Palace and nodded.

It was time.

--

The Future Scouts stood back, firing their most basic attacks into the melee that was occurring before them while also standing between the two battling forces and their Royalty save for Mini-Moon who had shoved her way past them and was currently teamed-up with Saturn, Kishin, Varan, and Baragon in taking a berserker-charged Legion. Not for the first time did the Future Scouts wished for their old power to be at their beck and call once again but these weak attacks were all they had to offer now.

The melee itself was nothing short of pure chaos as opponents were traded every-which-way with no clear dominance on either side that lasted for long. One moment, Baragon and Varan would be double-teaming with Manda and Neptune to attack Legion before having to deal with Irys and being split apart. No matter the combinations and team-ups against the Dark Riders, there were a select few that gravitated to each other and it is these two we must now focus on.

"You must remember something, damn it." Eiji didn't know why he remained untransformed; perhaps he thought his face could somehow break the hold Destroyah had on the cyborg. Currently, the two were in a fierce grappling match that showed Kiryu to be the stronger. "You spared her life, why would you do something like that?" Kiryu's emotionless face twitched and it shoved Eiji back, unsheathing its maser-power sword. Eiji grunted, gripping his K-Zector. "You leave me no choice… dad. Execute! Kaiju Spirit Evolution!"

"WAKE UP!" Eiji's form was enveloped in a cocoon of light with branches of lightning circling like sharks around its crystalline surface. While on the outside, one would see a human sized cocoon but that concept would be immediately thrown out the window should one actually witness what was occurring within.

_The words were ringing… why…?_

It was a void devoid of life, form, or function where only two things stood. One was Eiji Kusanagi, his arms spread wide as he roared like a primordial beast, the towering creature behind him reciprocating the call as it burst into beams of light that appeared as pieces of black armor grafted themselves to his form.

_A memory, Tokyo burning to ashes, silver forms flying through the air, explosions of wind and flame._

He fell down through the void and landed on a small pentagon that served as the only means of standing in the dark expanse. He raised his arm upwards and shot a beams of atomic light into the sky, tearing a hole large enough for him to burst out into the primary world. The cocoon of light burst and faded from sight as the Black Rider stood where once a seemingly normal boy had just moments ago.

"KAMEN RIDER GOJIRA!"

_It remembered everything._

A faint twitch and Kiryu's eyes flashed brightly. Kiryu stepped back from the Black Rider, tilting back its head as golden maser energy crackled in its human mouth and Gojira prepared to dodge the strike when Kiryu whirled and fired the blast towards Destroyah. The Blood-Red Rider bellowed in startled agony before turning cold visored eyes towards the cyborg. Kiryu's eyes glowed brightly, bleeding into a shade of crimson before tilting its head back once more and screaming with a voice not of a man's…

But of a monster.

In Kamen Rider Gojira's K-Zector rested the soul and power of the Third, the last of a ancient and powerful legacy from a past primordial in man's history. Kiryu had no such device but it too shared something of the creature once called King of Monsters but it was not the Third but the heart and soul of the Second, father of the Third and the first True Daikaiju Kaiser. It nearly a century ago, its soul supposedly gone but now it was back with a vengeance.

For you see, it hadn't come alone… for while it was the Second's soul residing within this shey of decayed flesh and cold steel there was a rage that came close to outweighing that of the Second's. What being could come close, you wonder, to that of a beast born with rage's fire? Consumed by it and growing to match it, to surpass it in order to become a living natural disaster unlike any ever seen? I'll tell you.

A man, but more than that… a father.

"SERRRIIIZAAAAWAAAAAAAAAA!!"

--

Kulutues and X stood at the top of the Palace, small bolts of energy running up towards the Crystals mounted on the Space Rider's shoulders.

(**Yes… yes, this will do…**) He growled low in his throat. (**Those two… they'll pay for this… I'll take great joy in destroying this planet, no! This entire system!**)

A bloody squelching sound and Kulutues' stunned eyes fell upon the hand bursting out of his chest, clutching his Crsytal-heart tightly. Another grabbed his brow and painfully pulled his head back for him see X's smiling face.

"You had your chance." X whispered. "Now let a real god step onto the playing field." A wrench and a good portion of Kulutues' helmet came off. With a snort of disdain, X pushed the dying creature off his arm and stood back before unleashing a blast of gravitational force. There was perhaps only a micro-gram of what was once a twisted amalgamation between Order and Chaos. Holding the twisted gemstones in his hands, X looked skyward and spoke not with one voice but three.

"Death… is only the beginning."

* * *

To Be Continued...

* * *

Next Time, on Kamen Rider Daikaiju: EoC!

_"I am the Terror King, the Lord of Destruction, the Avatar of Death itself! Do you miniscule mortals truly not comprehend the imprudence of trying to kill me? I am a god and yet you think yourselves capable of destroying me, banishing me to your memories once again?! I will no longer tolerate being a forgotten memory! Every last one of you shall die but I swear on my blood that those who stand in my way will spend eternity begging for death's release!"_

Ragnarok's End


	33. Ragnarok's End

Poupoko: This...

Mewtwo: Is...

Bahamut: The...

Me: END!

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.**

* * *

**Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos **

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

Ragnarok's End

Time is an argument for there is no truth behind the concept of what time is and what rules it follows only that it follows what it will and plow those who would stand in its way. Of all the arguments of Time there are perhaps three that fit it quite well, all three having been compared to an element found in nature.

The River, where a single deviation of an important event will cause the entire future to change so much that it is argued that those who hail from it would disappear as their need to travel to the past would become null and void. The Tree, where events and histories can change and branch out into separate worlds but the trunk, the future, remains unchanged so change is possible yet impossible both at once. Finally, there is Stone, where one can try to change history but Time, or perhaps Fate, will find a way to correct the misconception and to force destiny back on its way.

Let us pray in favor of the River and not of the Tree for the lives of the Kamen Riders and the Sailor Scouts.

--

"Raijin… Impossible! You're dead, nothing more than a husk!" bellowed Destroyah.

"A husk… A HUSK!?" Man and beast together roared as a blade of diamond edge sparked with maser energy. "Tell me Serizawa, can a dead husk kill…?"

The cyborg didn't wait for an answer, the missile ports on his jetpack opening and sending silo after silo up into the ceiling of the hall, causing great amounts of crystals to fall, keeping the Dark Riders separate from the others save for Kiryu.

Destroyah looked around in amusement as Irys and Legion stepped up to him from behind. "You think that you can fight all three of us on your own, Raijin? Don't tell me death has made you more of a fool."

A feral growl as energy maximized on the cyborg's sword. "Who says we are alone?!" With an inhuman roar, the possessed machine charged forward only to suddenly leap high into the air with the aid of his jets, maser energy launching from his metal-lined mouth.

--

"Father…! Father!" Gojira made to blast his way past the debris when Caesar's hand shoved his arm down. "Sensei!"

"He is giving us the change to go after Kulutues." The Gold Rider's voice was unnaturally steeled. "Do not let your father die in vain a second time, Eiji."

The Black Rider flinched but, hesitantly, nodded. Ignoring the sounds of the battle from behind the wall of crystalline debris, he turned to face the other Riders, sparing Battra and distrusting glance that was completely ignored. "Anyone see where Kulutues went to?"

"Believe me." Future Sailor Pluto suddenly appeared beside her fellows. "He is no longer your concern. Something far worse than Kulutues ever could be is coming."

"Worse?" snapped Varan.

"What the flying hell could be worse than him?!" demanded Rodan.

"He created the Crystal Incursion," stated Gamera.

"He destroyed our entire world," said Anguirus.

"He ruined our lives," whispered Manda, "and is responsible for billions of deaths."

"So tell me," growled Gojira. "What could be worse than Kulutues?!"

A sound the likes of which should never be heard was the answer to Gojira's question. The earth shook like it was in the midst of a terrible quake and the sky, once the color of sapphire light, became black as lightless night with clouds of blood swirling at the epicenter of a massive gaping void that resembled that of a black hole. A trio of cackling came from within the expanse and bolts of gravitational energies ripped through the air and tore up everything in their path.

Beneath his helmet, Battra paled, memories not his own coming to the forefront of his mind. "I know that voice…" Voice being a very loose term to describe the cackling that seemed a mixture between a snake and bird.

"You should," Future Sailor Pluto stated impassively. "It's the Terror King."

The Kamen Riders and Past Scouts looked to each other in confusion save for the Pluto of the past, or present, who paled. "The Terror King…?" she whispered. "How, he, he was killed eons ago, at the onset of the Silver Millennium!"

"In this world," agreed Queen Neo-Serenity, "but without the Silver or Gold Crystals, there was no such kingdom and no opposing force against him so when he was killed, it was merely the destruction of his mortal shell. His soul, his power, lived on in the Void."

"Pardon the interruption," said Sailor Moon, raising a hand. "But how do you know this?"

"We're your future," the Queen's smile was sad as she spoke. "We've had a long time to figure this out."

Further talking was halted by more bolts of gravitational energy striking the ground and sending pieces of earth towards the sky.

"Okay, okay we get the point!" Gojira yelled over the noise. "How do we stop him?!"

"There is only one way." Future Sailor Pluto stated, pointing at the Riders. "You must enter the Void and weaken him to the point where they," She indicated the Scouts, "can seal him away for the rest of eternity."

"And what, exactly, will you be doing?" asked Rodan, crossing his arms over his chest.

Future Sailor Venus smiled sadly. "I'm sure you haven't missed how none of us are Super powered, Takuya… We sacrificed that power to seal the Terror King away…"

"And we sacrificed our lives," stated Gamera, finally connecting everything together. "You knew this would happen. That's why you stayed out of the fight. The Crystals, Raijin, everything. You had the script and were acting the roles needed."

The Future Senshi, at least those who were deeply connected to certain Riders, flinched and turned away, their eyes wet with tears while the Future Outers stared on impassively.

Gojira, Rodan, Anguirus, and Gamera exchanged serious glances before looking first towards the Orochi Squadron, all of three nodding their ascent, before looking to the Elder Riders, who remained impassive, even Battra despite the pained screams of the earth as it was being torn asunder.

Gojira stepped forward, looking back at the still-transformed Scouts, before looking at his team, more whole now than it had been before though the gaps that remained were still painfully aware to him. "Let's go."

This was immediately met by several loud protests by the Scouts of their time.

--

"Shiro, you can't, you can't just… keep being a martyr all the time!" Sailor Mars clung tightly to the Emerald Rider's waist, his arms wrapped lightly around her own.

Gamera sighed, brushing her long strands of purple-tinted raven locks with his false hand, something he would never have done before. He was scared to touch her with this hand before for it was a constant reminder of his failure to the two people he cared about most. Shiro didn't want to fail Rei like he had with Asagi and Gabriel… but that didn't mean he'd just sit back and let this so-called future have its way. Yes, he would willingly die for anyone of his friends, his family, but that didn't mean that he'd just sit back and let it happen either.

"I know, La… Rei-chan… I know…" he whispered, "but I can't let this world, your future, perish because of my inaction… Besides, a posse ad esse non valet consequentia. Just because it is possible doesn't make it real. I'll come back, I promise."

--

"Goddamn it woman, it ain't like I'm dead yet!" Rodan looked immensely uncomfortable as Sailor Venus sobbed quite loudly on his armor, her arms wrapped like a vice around his waist. He remembered how he used to treat Ritsuko but that wasn't either here or there, Mina wasn't Ritsuko and he'd be damned if he'd treat her…

He realized instantly just how he'd been treating her.

Nothing like Ritsuko, that was immensely true but nothing that could indicate that he actually loved her as much as he did. Too many years spent in a blind rage towards the opposite sex and to himself nearly made him blind as to the truth of his actions and with this next fight possibly, yes possibly damnit, being his last, Takuya wasn't going to ruin this for her. The mouth guard slid back, revealing the lower half of his face and Sailor Venus had time enough to blink in teary-eyed confusion before her lips were otherwise busy with Rodan's.

--

Anguirus rubbed the back of his helmet unsure as to what to say as Sailor Mercury kept her back to him. He sighed, deciding to go with the direct approach. "Ami, I—"

"Don't." A shuddering breath of air, the sound of tears dripping to the floor. "Don't call me that."

"I…" Anguirus couldn't hide the despair in his own voice. Did she hate him now that he was going to be 'throwing away' his life?

She suddenly whirled and launched herself at him, crying and blushing as red as a tomato at the same time. "Call me Water Sprite…"

"Wa-Water Sprite…?"

"Yes. Say that, always," she whispered. Not "Ami". To him, she was always Water Sprite but he had refused to call her such because of her stupid fear, the same fear that prevented her from saying the three words that were bursting to be spoken from the depths of her heart. "I love you."

--

"You're going to go no matter what I say… aren't you…?" Jupiter whispered quietly, hugging herself.

Gojira stood before her, obviously torn. A part of him wanted to tell her that everything would be alright, that he'd back safe and sound but another, more realistic portion insisted he not waste the last chance he'd ever have to be with the one that he loved more than he ever thought possible. But time was against them and all Eiji could offer to Lita was a gentle yet firm hug.

"I promised to marry you when you came of age," he whispered. "I will not break my vow and lose the chance to be married to such an angel as yourself. Death will have to take me by force to keep me away from you, my love."

"I'll hold you to it…" she whispered. "I love you, Eiji…"

"And I love you, Lita…"

--

The Riders stood together just beneath the gateway to the Void, now strangely silent as though aware of their presence and their plan. Behind them stood the present and Future Sailor Scouts. Gojira took a step forward, glancing first up towards the Void before looking back to the Scouts, more specifically the Future Lita. He gave her a single thumbs-up before facing his fellow Riders.

"Riders! I'm not one for speeches so I'll make my point clear. We go in, we kick some ass, and get out! We've just now finally been allowed some sense of peace and I for one am not willing to roll over and die for the pleasure of some otherworldly being! I cannot speak for you but I can gladly say that I am tired, I want to rest, to enjoy acting my age, to train because I want to better at my Art, not because my life depends on it. Morisato! What say you?!"

Anguirus jumped slightly in surprise, glancing once towards Sailor Mercury, present and future, "I… I want to be the man I could have been, to love and be loved in return. I want to create machines to make lives better, not to end them."

Gojira nodded firmly, "Takuya?!"

Rodan tilted his head and snorted. "I ain't gonna add more sap to this. I aim to be the greatest swords master in all of Japan to make my ancestors, my clan, proud of my accomplishments. And… I wanna rest as well, to be reminded what being in love feels like."

Gojira stared at him for a moment before smirking. "Gamera?!"

Gamera smiled beneath his helmet, looking down at the ground as though in thought. "I want to live a life of tranquility as well." He chuckled. "Though I doubt I'll find much of it with such a fiery wife."

Gojira blinked in surprise but smiled and nodded. "Kishin?!"

Kishin growled at the sharp tone but upon seeing Saturn, calmed down. "We, I, want to live with Aunt Setsuna, Aunt Michiru, and Uncle Haruka… I want to live with Tenshi-chan and… I want to love and be loved… like Ryu-sensei and Hime-sensei!"

Gojira grinned, already feeling the effects of his friends' speeches and seeing it in the eyes of their Scouts. "Varan?!"

The Wind Rider blinked and glanced once at the group behind them before scoffing. "Peace, smeace. If I can improve my ninja skills and fight for fun instead of for my life, I'm happy."

Gojira nodded. Given time, Waka would probably change his tune somewhat. "Baragon?!"

"Troublesome," sighed Baragon, shaking his head at his brother. "I wouldn't mind having a meal properly prepared for once." He chuckled. "Though really, I'd like the chance to sit back and read a good book once and a while, neh?"

Gojira mentally shook his head. Figures that Issun would want to do the easiest thing. "Manda?!"

The Aqua Rider smiled beneath her helmet. "I would enjoy the tranquility as well, and I've always wanted to go to Sea World." She giggled.

Gojira sweatdropped beneath his helmet but went on otherwise. "Caesar?!"

The Gold Rider grinned beneath his helmet, recognizing the tactic often used by Eiji's father. "I've enjoyed teaching this year past. Teaching my family and my students. I'll see this through to the very end, my boy." His 'tail' suddenly began to wag. "Besides, I've yet to see Setsuna in a bikini. Can't die until I've seen that."

Gojira chuckled at his sensei's antics. "Mosura?!"

The White Mage looked first to the Riders that, over the years, had become her children before her eyes fell upon her brother. "I've enjoyed taking care of the sick and putting my magic towards healing instead of destruction. I've regained my family and my brother, and I will let no one, not even this Terror King, keep me from living out my life with them."

Gojira expected as much from her before his eyes fell on the one person he still didn't trust, at least not fully. "And you, Battra? Where do you stand in this?"

The Black Mage stared first at Gojira before looking back once at the future King and Queen of the Neo Silver Millennium before returning his attention to the boy that was his enemy not so long ago. "… This Earth is not our own but… I can feel connected to her just as if she was our own. Here, there is no infection of Crystals and I am… curious to see how humans could accomplish such… tranquility with the earth."

Gojira kept his eyes on the former Dark Rider for a long moment before nodding in satisfaction. He looked to each of the Riders in turn as he spoke, "We finish this here, now, or not at all! United we stand, divided we fall! We are soldiers, we are warriors, but more than that, we are Kamen Riders!"

They screamed their hopes and dreams as one before leaping skyward, allowing the gateway to the Void to take them into its abyss as those left behind prayed for their safe return.

--

The darkness was never ending in an expanse devoid of true-life. Only those that had forsaken it could reside here in a world of refuge from the light and the truth. It was here that the dead lived and the living died, where the lie was the truth and the truth was the lie.

It was here, that They called home.

The Riders stood before Them, or Him as the case was. They had been told of this Terror King's power and ability but never once his name or his appearance, which they recognized instantly. Shining with the brilliance of polished gold on two saurian legs, towering nearly a 120 meters, was a golden draconic hydra. Bony spikes jutted out from his sides to form monstrously large wings and a long tail swung through the air, its tip splitting in two barbed edges. Three liung-like heads stood on serpentine necks, red eyes promising only one thing to those that stood in Their way.

Death.

Gojira remained motionless for all of three seconds before suddenly racing forward and around the monstrous king, activating his Cast-On as he went. "Strike him quick and fast! Keep moving and watch out for his heads! _Atomic Fire!_"

Anguirus rolled out of the way of a swipe of the Terror King's tail and kept going with a roar, "_Spinball Assault!_"

Rodan shot skyward into the blackness of the Void, unsheathing his sword and sending a blade of energy towards one of the necks. "_Slicing Hurricane Gale!_"

Thinking along the same lines, Gamera crossed his holo-arms over his chest. "_Gaia Slicer!_" He shot the X-shaped energy wave towards the left neck.

Kishin screeched and jumped high, "_Kaiju Krusher!_" and slammed his giant holo-hands down at a knee.

Manda weaved tightly around the tail, shocking the limb with electricity as she roared, "_Scream of the Orochi!_"

Above her, sailing on winds nonexistent, Varan dove downwards curling tightly into a ball not unlike Anguirus' own method of attack. "_Toxic Reign!_"

On the opposite side, Baragon ran like never before as his Orochi-Claws began to glow with geo-kinetic energy. He didn't believe his attack would truly work but seeing as they all were standing on something… "_Strike of the Orochi!_"

Caesar ran along the Terror King's back, energy gathering in his feet before he leapt high and fell towards the right head. "_Hunter's Moon!_" He cursed as the head only blinked from the blow. Mosura swooped down and grabbed his wrists, dropping him from a safer height before she flew upwards once again, her Trinity jewels shining with White Magic. On her opposite side flew Battra, his horn sparking with Black Magic.

"_Trinity Burst!_"

"_Schwarz Bursting!_"

Black lightning and shining light shot forward and exploded against the Terror King's chest, clouding his upper body from sight for a long moment.

**_("Enough!)_** Gravitational lightning burst forth from the fanged mouths of the Terror King, knocking the Riders back a good distance. The small flap of his great wings and he was airborne, hovering high above the Kamen Riders, showing to them the result of their assault upon him.

Nothing; not even the barest of scratches on a golden scale.

The two heads began to cackle as the middle head leaned upwards, fangs gleaming as it grinned down upon them. **_("I am the Terror King, the Lord of Destruction, the Avatar of Death itself! Do you miniscule mortals truly not comprehend the imprudence of trying to kill me? I am a god and yet you think yourselves capable of destroying me, banishing me to your memories once again?! I will no longer tolerate being a forgotten memory! Every last one of you shall die but I swear on my blood that those who stand in my way will spend eternity begging for death's release!")_**

"We…" gasped Gojira, rising to his feet. "We know who you are…"

"Kaiju-teme…" grunted Rodan, pushing himself to stand.

"You are King Ghidorah…" whispered Manda. "One of the most powerful of all kaiju…"

"Ironically…" Caesar grinned beneath his mask. "The only dead one too."

The heads drew themselves up high, screeching as gravity bolts shot down from their mouths. Obviously, King Ghidorah was not pleased to be reminded of his last battle with the Monster King. The group scattered, dodging as best they could but even indirect hits were powerful enough to send them flying through the air, screaming in agony from the force.

--

Mini-Moon winced at a seemingly imaginary burst of pain, before once more resuming her concentration over the two powerful gems floating above her hands. Standing beside her, Sailor Moon held out the Silver Imperium Crystal while Tuxedo Mask did the same for the Golden Crystal. Standing in a loose ring around them were the Sailor Scouts, their heads bowed and their tiaras gone while the symbols of their Planetary Power shined brightly.

Above, the gateway to the Void seemed almost amused by their attempt, having grown silent though the darkening storm clouds of bloodied hues increased in strength beyond the horizon.

Mini-Moon knew that, as a child of both Crystal powers, she was the only one capable of truly using them both but to use them together? Such a thing was unheard of even in her grandmother's time! She did not think she'd have the strength to do this on her own.

She had no idea how correct she was.

--

Gojira moaned and slowly looked up and winced. Ghidorah was a gold speck on the horizon. A rapidly approaching speck. "Shit… how far did that blast throw us…?" He pushed himself to his feet and saw that he was alone. "Damn." He placed a hand beside his mouth guard. "Hey, everyone alright?" Groans and a few choice words were his response. "I'll take those as a yes."

"_Ugh… Boss, we're seriously outgunned here…_" came Anguirus' voice.

"_Yeah, no shit there, Runt! Tell us something we don't know!_" screeched Rodan.

"_We might have the powers of the daikaiju, Commander,_" spoke Baragon.

"_But we've never fought against one,_" finished Manda.

"_In other words, we're in a shitload of trouble._" Varan quipped.

"… I guess we have no choice then." Gojira said, watching as Ghidorah began to draw ever closer towards him. "We need to use the BioMerge."

"…_ Have you lost your mind?!_" came Rodan's voice. "_Even if we went all kaiju on that bastard, there's no energy here for us to go full-power!_"

"_More than that,_" Gamera spoke calmly. "_Not all of us contain benign spirits, Little Brother. They might well turn on each other._"

"_They won't_." Caesar disagreed. "_They fought together once; they can do it once more._"

"_But what about the energy requirement?_" asked Baragon. "_We'll be kaiju, but we'll be shrimp-sized compared to Ghidorah._"

"_There's plenty of it here,_" said Battra.

"Battra?"

"_This place, whatever it may be, must have something the gives it existence. Whether it is magic or some otherworldly power there must be something here or we'd be lost in an endless space. This… Void, must be powered by Ghidorah's thoughts._"

"_Great, that makes it so much easier doesn't it?_" sarcasmed Varan.

"_It does._" Battra agreed. "_Because Ghidorah needs energy to survive. Specifically, the energies of life. Tell me, Kusanagi-kun, what is the stronger than that?_"

"Nothing," smiled Gojira. "… Look, this is our only chance against this thing, but I won't force anyone to—"

"Ah shut the hell up, Eiji!" screeched Rodan. "Enough of this pansy-ass crap! Let's do this!"

Gojira smirked beneath his helmet. "Heh. Fine. Kamen Riders! Let's let loose our fury!"

K-Zectors began to glow brightly as they were turned completely around. "Safety protocols, disengaged. Initiating BioMerge System."

A flex of clawed hands, the tensing of muscles.

"Three."

Fangs lengthening eyes twisting in their sockets.

"Two."

The leather like material of the bodysuits straining under the mounting pressure.

"One."

Human voices screamed like never before, melting away into the primal voices of monsters ancient and young in their time and yet the sound could only be heard by those who made them.

"BioMerge initiated."

--

Ghidorah halted in midair, his blazing eyes narrowed for just a moment before a trio of feral, determined grins appeared on his heads and he began flying faster than before. He recognized that energy, that life-force. It was him! A trinity of screams was all the warning Godzilla received before he was slammed down into the unseen ground, Ghidorah standing tall over him though, for whatever reason, the Monster King had somehow grown to his proper size of fifty meters.

Reptilian eyes opened, revealing orange irises that glowed brightly with atomic light before the sharp dorsal spines reciprocated and began to heat up with energy. Ghidorah flew above the blast of radioactive fire and swooped around Godzilla. The Monster King rose to his feet and snarled, followed the space monster's motions before jumping out of the way from a blast of gravitational lightning.

Ghidorah cackled and prepared another bombardment when a brown blur suddenly zipped past him followed closely by a sonic boom that almost knocked him out of the air. Growling low in his throats, Ghidorah looked above him to see a hovering Rodan, bony crests a dull red from the rush of blood through them, cawing at him.

Ghidorah's left head fired a bolt of gravity force at the flyer, who barrel-rolled down under the blast and away just in time to allow a spinning spiked form to collide against Ghidorah's chest, plowing him completely to the ground. The spiked ball bounced away, rolling over towards Godzilla before uncurling to revealing the spiked form of Anguirus.

The sharp beak of the saurian opened as it growled an herbivorous sound at the Terror King with Godzilla snarling like the carnivore that he was. Above them both, Rodan hovered and cackled his avian's cry, gray beak clacking loudly.

Ghidorah growled and stood up slowly, monstrously long tail waving in the air behind him only to be grabbed and pulled up into the air and slammed down into the ground. Shrieking in rage, lightning flashing around him, Ghidorah rose once more into the air.

Caesar howled and leapt up to slash at the Terror King's wings only to be swatted aside by Ghidorah's tail. Twisting in the air, Caesar landed on all fours and growled low in his throat before leaping up into the air once again, this time followed by Varan on the opposite side. Ghidorah snorted in disdain and simply flew higher, firing at Rodan to keep the avian away. Instead of colliding into each other, Caesar twisted tightly and, grabbing onto Varan's hands, launched the Orochi Spawn of Wind higher into the air.

Fangs glistening, Varan bit down onto Ghidorah's tail and hung on like a wild bulldog. Ghidorah screamed more in rage than actual pain and twisted tightly in the air to try and dislodge Varan only to turn his back to another newcomer to the battle. Though traveling beneath was more to his element, Baragon traveled just as fast and proved his agility even more by leaping an astounding two hundred meters into the air. Using his monstrously large claws to grip tightly onto Ghidorah's wings, Baragon bit down at the base of the right neck.

This time, Ghidorah did scream in actual pain before twisting both free necks about to fire a point-bank blast of gravitational lightning at the two 'brothers'. Varan glided down and landed roughly on his hind feet while Baragon landed with all the grace of a cat. Ghidorah growled low and prepared another bombardment when a strange sound reached his ears. Before he had a chance to react, a spiked turtle-shell collided into his back, fueled by plasma fire and spinning like the serrated blade that it had become. Ghidorah was plowed down into the waiting kaijus' welcome grasp.

To call it a dog pile would have been the most severe understatement ever used in the history of combat. Unfortunately, the grandness of the monstrous pile-on was cut short by an explosion of gravitational force as Ghidorah took to the air only to be side-swiped by a pair of, literal, overgrown insects.

Beams of shining light shot from Mothra's antennae as her brother, Battra, fired dark lightning from his horny crest. The energies were different than Godzilla's breath weapon and actually gave Ghidorah a small semblance of pain before he retaliated against the two Guardians by firing his own attack back at them. He did not recognize them but, if he had, the Terror King would have made sure to have slain them first.

Looking down below, Ghidorah saw that Manda and the Cloverfield had joined the ranks of the assembled kaiju. Snarling in disdain, the Terror King launched down to land amidst the pack, sending them scrambling away from each other. **_('Easy pickings.')_**

Godzilla, Anguirus, and Rodan might share a semblance of pack mentality but the Orochi Spawn were born to kill each other to resurrect their 'father', no matter the magics used by the Yamato Priests. Mothra and Battra were strangely similar to IT but they did not share in ITS power so Ghidorah had little concern for them. Gamera, humanoid though he was, did not believe fully in working together as a team against a common foe. Caesar was old, almost as old as the Orochi Spawn, and had fought with, and taught, combat to Godzilla once before but that was neither here nor there.

But their weakest stood defiantly before him now. The Cloverfield, young in age and in body yet having strength to rival Godzilla's through sheer animosity. Even now the berserker was charging straight at Ghidorah in a foolhardy attempt to kill the threat that he felt in the space monster. All three heads grinned as fangs glistened with gravitational power. Alone, the blast could destroy a building with the ease of unified lightning, but combined together…

The very atoms would be torn apart into oblivion.

The Cloverfeld only roared in defiance at Ghidorah as he charged straight into the oncoming blast only to be roughly shoved aside by Godzilla who met the attack head-on with a burst of his atomic fire. The attacks collided and struggled against the other for a long moment before the combined energies exploded, sending the daikaiju staggering back but all remained standing.

--

In another place, in another time, Godzilla hadn't interfered with the Cloverfield's suicidal attack and the berserker perished from the attack. Enraged, the daikaiju would attack in anger and hatred, allowing each of them to fall under the power of the Avatar of Death until only Battra, Mothra, and Godzilla remained alive to combat him. In the end, it would take the sacrifice of all three kaiju to truly slay the Terror King and, from there, the Void would be sealed away not by the powers of the Gold and Silver Crystals but by the power of Sailor Saturn.

Learning of the demise of her dearest friends and her sensei's, Mini-Moon would lose whatever feeble connection she had managed to create between the two Crystals and Saturn, already filled with grief, would sacrifice her life by using all of her power to destroy the gateway to the Void for the rest of eternity.

In another time and place, the Kamen Riders were dead and the Sailor Scouts would forever remain broken.

This… was no longer the case.

--

Mini-Moon grimaced and pushed as much as she could when there came a strange sensation over her. For whatever reason she felt… stronger? No, more physically fit yes but… yes, yes something was wrong! Something was wrong with this future but for the life of her, Mini-Moon could not figure out why.

That is, until a pair of hands joined her own in holding up to the two Crystals.

Blinking in surprise, Rini looked into the brown eyes of a boy exactly her age with blue-tinted black hair done in a style similar to her father's. He grinned rather like a fox and said, "C'mon, Baby-chan, don't be getting scared for our sensei!"

"He's stronger than you think, Small Lady. Mamo-chan is just being brazen as usual." A vein appeared on the boy's head and he growled at the person standing beside him, who looked completely unrepentant. Looking around her, Mini-Moon saw a familiar Quartet garbed in an intimately familiar uniform standing around her and the boy with Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask now suddenly standing on the outer rim of the circle of Inner and Outer Senshi.

She blinked once more as the memories came flooding into her mind. She looked to the boy, who grinned at her and tossed his head up towards the gateway to the Void. "They'll win. You believe that, neh?"

Sailor Mini-Moon's eyes narrowed before she suddenly smiled with far more confidence than ever before. "Yeah… I do."

--

**_ ("You… are beginning… to annoy me…") _**Ghidorah stood before the monstrous pack, all three heads scowling before launching gravity bolt. **_("DIE!")_**

_On a cold morning, in the time before the light_

_In flames of Death's eternal reign we ride towards the fight_

_And the darkness if falling down and the times are tough all right_

_The sound of evil laughter falls around the world tonight_

The group scattered once again but continued their assault upon Ghidorah but, unlike before, they attacked in tandem with one another. The fliers, specifically Rodan, Mothra, and Battra, stayed above the reach of Ghidorah's heads and offered air support to the grounded kaiju with Rodan even going so far as to slash at the Terror King's eyes.

_Fighting high, fighting on for the steel_

_Through the wastelands evermore_

_The scattered souls will feel the hell, bodies wasted on the shores_

Those with humanoid limbs and builds, that being Caesar, Gamera, and the Cloverfield, began a triple assault on Ghidorah from three sides with their unique styles of combat. Caesar kept switching between two-legged and four-legged fighting styles while Gamera kept to the bone blades located in his wrists while blasting plasma fire at Ghidorah's wings. The Cloverfield remained true to form and attacked like a maddened berserker but kept in line with his fellow humanoids.

_On the blackest plains in Hell's domain_

_We watch them as they go_

_Through fire and pain once again we know_

Varan regained his bite-hold on Ghidorah's tail, being sure to keep away from the bars at the dual-tip while Baragon continually jumped at the space monster, slashing at him or belching bursts of napalm at his heads. Manda attacked like a viper, shooting forward and snapping at one of Ghidorah's heads. Whatever bite that didn't connected was still felt by the Terror King as Manda's jaws were lined with thunderbolts.

_So now we fly ever free_

_We're free before the thunderstorm_

_On towards the wilderness_

_Our quest carries on_

Anguirus joined in random assaults alongside Baragon, either curling into a spiked ball and impacting like a cannonball against Ghidorah or suddenly uncurling and lashing out with his spiked tail-hammer. Only Godzilla dared to keep a full frontal assault against Ghidorah, matching ancient hunger against primordial rage, fire and lightning dancing between them.

_Far beyond the sundown_

_Far beyond the moonlight_

_Deep inside our hearts and all our souls!_

High above, Mothra and Battra looked to one another. Ghidorah was as close to a god as a kaiju could become and even with their jointed efforts it would take a lot more to destroy him once and for all. Seeing the acceptance in the other's eyes they flew down to hover above Godzilla and 'spoke' to him of their plan.

_So far away we wait for the day_

_For the light source so wasted and gone_

_We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days_

_Through the fire and the flames we carry on!_

He growled low in his throat, firing a stream of atomic energy at Ghidorah who became otherwise distracted by Gamera and Anguirus double-teaming him. Godzilla wanted no help; he wanted to kill Ghidorah on his own! Mothra scratched at his head, not really harming him but chastising him for his foolishness. Whether he liked it or not, every kaiju fighting against Ghidorah was a pack and pack mates helped each other.

_As the red day is dawning_

_And the lightning cracks the sky_

_They'll raise their hands to the heavens above_

_With resentment to their lies_

That gave pause to the inferno of rage inside the Monster King, who looked first up at the Deities of Light and Shadow before looking at each combating kaiju in turn. He had fought with, against, and for most of them both as himself and as… the human… Did that really make them his pack?

_Running back through the midmorning light_

_There's a burning in my heart_

_We're banished from the time in a foreign land_

_To a life beyond the stars_

Yes.

It did.

_In your darkest dreams see to believe_

_Our destiny is time_

_And endlessly we'll all be free tonight!_

Godzilla roared mightily and charged once more into the fray, buying time for Mothra and Battra to fly high above the group, strangely in sync with one another's movements. Their wings beating as one and their respected crests glowing brightly, the two insects began a strange sort of dance with their limbs until they disappeared in a flash of unified light and darkness.

_And on the wings of a dream_

_So far beyond reality_

_All alone in desperation_

_Now the time has gone_

Ghidorah suddenly screamed and blasted the kaiju back, turning his attention up at the new monster that had entered the fray. Adorned with skin like platinum armor with its rainbow-colored wings being held by serrated edges, it cried with the voice of both Mothra and Battra combined though, strictly speaking, that wasn't the actual case. This new being with shining emerald eyes and a single, peach-shaped crest adorned with a seed from the Tree of Life, was neither Battra or Mothra but was, in essence, their original self. This kaiju was the first to appear on Earth, naturally or otherwise, and was born for the sole purpose of protecting the planet from the Terror King.

Its name?

Gigamoth.

_Lost inside you'll never find_

_Lost within my own mind_

_Day after day this misery must go on!_

The Firstborn Kaiju sang loudly, sending a burst of elemental light from its forehead to crash into Ghidorah, driving it back and into the waiting arms of the others who made sure to keep the space monster distracted from what Gigamoth was about to do. Contrary to what Ghidorah believed, Gigamoth was not back for good and would remain for a limited time before it would separate back into Mothra and Battra, both of whom would no longer be able to offer their support.

Hovering high above Godzilla, the Firstborn Kaiju began to sing a siren's song that sounded neither male nor female but a unique blending of both as pollen fell from its wings while the Seed of Life glowed brightly on its brow. The Elements of Life began to shine brightly as they fell from Gigamoth's wings.

("NO!") A blast of gravitational force shot through the air from three different mouths and Gigamoth was sent hurtling backwards, crashing into the ground before separating into Battra and Mothra, both near the point of no-return for this battle.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the combatants against Ghidorah seemed to become of something at once and made to move away from the Terror King who began to quickly close in on the unmoving Godzilla. The Monster King's eyes opened slowly, flickering for a moment as it contemplated this power. It wasn't the same as before for that power had burned him as well as his enemies. It was a double-edged sword.

This, was not.

_So far away we wait for the day_

_For the light source so wasted and gone_

_We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days_

_Through the fire and the flames we carry on!_

Eyes flashing into a shining red, beams of power burst forth from Godzilla's skin, sending out immense waves of power. The leaf-shaped dorsal spines on his back began to shine blue bursting before into flaming red as thin beams of power began to swirl in his fanged mouth. The beam was not the '_Spiral Atomic Inferno_' for that attack was minute in comparison for it was fired by human hands.

This was a whole new level.

_No here we stand with their blood on our hands_

_We fought so hard, now can we understand_

_I'll break the seal of this curse if I possibly can_

_For freedom of every man!_

Ghidorah screamed in rage and bent his heads forward, creating a thin shield of gravitational power to hold back the attack. He grunted with the exertion to hold the energy back. Growling low in his throats, Ghidorah's center head looked up into the eyes of Godzilla. **_("You will die!")_**

**("You first.")**

A sickening squelch and Ghidorah's middle head went flying through the air, golden blood streaming from the neck as its stump was burned closed. The two remaining heads went completely insane, screeching and firing bolts of gravity everywhere even as the body was moving up into the air on its own accord, gravitational lightning arcing across it before a second and final attack blasted into the torso causing an explosion whose scale would have been called second only to that which created everything in existence had the kaiju actually been there to witness it.

_So far away we wait for the day_

_For the light source so wasted and gone_

_We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days_

_Through the fire and the flames we carry on!_

--

Eiji wondered if this was going to be a constant trend with him waking up on the ground feeling like he'd been put through the grinder. A strangely familiar face suddenly filled his vision marred by a disappointed frown. "Wow, if I look that bad I must be feeling a lot worse. Sorry, mini-me but we don't have aspirin around here. Haven't got a need for it really."

Eiji blinked several times before he shot to his feet, pointing a shaking finger at the man before him. "You, you're…"

"You." The older version of Eiji smirked. "And before you ask, yes, you will be getting a hell of a headache."

"…… Shit."

"Why the hell do I look so damn happy?" came Takuya's rough voice. The Eiji's both turned and saw Takuya glaring at the grinning older version of himself with more than a little bit of disconcertion. The other Riders began to rise to their feet, some in a small bit of pain but otherwise unhurt. They were all back inside the palace of Crystal Tokyo, this time in a strange blend of a garden and pavilion with a transparent ceiling shining bright sunlight onto the exotic plants covering the room.

"What happened…?" muttered Hudson, holding his head. "Oh my aching brain…"

"It gets better, trust me on that." CT Hudson smiled. He appeared to be in his late teen years while the rest, save for Future Waka and Issun, looked to be in their mid-twenties. The Future 'Elders' didn't look much older than their past selves though it was rather odd to see Naraku's future self actually smiling and looking happy.

"Little Prince and Small Lady used the powers of the Golden Crystal and Silver Imperium Crystal together to bring you here while simultaneously using the energy from King Ghidorah's death to seal away the Void for all eternity." CT Midoriko explained.

"Whoa, Pinky can do all that?" asked Waka.

"Waitasecond," said Morisato, "Who's 'Little Prince'?"

"Put that on hold for…" CT Morisato glanced down at his K-Zector. "Five, four, three, two, one."

Nothing.

"Hrm, I thought it'd be right about—"

The door to the pavilion burst open as several frantic females screamed out the names of their loved ones, launching themselves at them and embracing them tightly. Most of them landed flat on their backs with their lips otherwise being occupied.

CT Eiji smirked at CT Morisato. "I believe you were going to say 'now'?"

Haruka and Michiru, both of whom were busy trying not to be disturbed by seeing Setsuna of all people acting like, well, like a teenager immediately became aware of the future versions of their friends. "Hey, you're alive!"

"No shit Sherlock." CT Takuya stated.

Haruka laughed and high-fived the future Yashima, "You're still alive and you're still a smart-ass!"

That exclamation earned more than a fair share of sweatdrops.

--

It took a while but eventually, enough order was restored for the full, and true, story to be told. CT Setsuna explained that, yes, originally the Riders did fall but a small change was all it took for the timeline to be altered just enough to literally change everything.

This was easily demonstrated by CT Setsuna who was currently in her third trimester.

However, because events still needed to occur as they had for the group before, especially in the cases involving little Rini, the princess' memories had to be blocked lest she accidentally destroy the future. Her appreciation of this was virtually null and void though she was mollified by the fact that her twin brother, Mamo-chan ("Call me Mamoru damn it! Ow! Mom!") couldn't have travelled to the past with her, something that he obviously wanted to do.

The Future Scouts were in fact holograms that looked and acted exactly in the way they were programmed to and were already freshly dismantled as their sole mission was completed. None of the Riders or Scouts appreciated being tricked like this but seeing as it was themselves that had done the tricking, it wasn't too bad. Besides that, none of them could really argue with the outcomes of the BioMerge.

For most of the Riders, the only change in their DNA had been the ability to shift between normal teeth and fingernails to glistening fangs and claws. The Urashima siblings found their abilities to control their elements slightly stronger than before, though Issun complained of not being able to have claws like Baragon and Waka lamented at not being able to grow toxic spikes out of his back.

Midoriko and Naraku appeared unchanged save for the, ahem, assets gained from their unification into Gigamoth. Oh, it was nothing bad just… Well, the term bishounen could now officially be applied to the dark twin and Midoriko was definitely bishoujo. Naraku, both present and future, swore to curse them all into frogs if they didn't shut up about his new appearance.

In the end, it was Shiro that gained, and lost, the most from the BioMerge. During the transformation, his false arm had been completely destroyed and lost somewhere amidst the Void. Not that he needed seeing as his arm had been completely regenerated with a little… addition added to them both. He now had access to the bone blades that Gamera could create from his wrists, something that amused Takuya to no end as Shiro was generally the pacifist of the group and was now the deadliest of them as he'd always have a weapon on his person.

Shiro didn't care at all about the bone-spurs as he saw the regeneration as a form of forgiveness for his past. He and Eiji had asked their future selves the outcome of Kiryu's battle and were answered as thus by them.

"Destroyah and Irys are dead and dust." CT Eiji stated before suddenly smirking. "Or iced as the case actually is."

"But what about Kiryu?" asked Eiji.

"And Legion?"

"… You do not have to concern yourselves about them," said CT Shiro. "You will never again be confronted by either Kiryu or Legion ever again."

However, the biggest surprise came when it was revealed that Rini would be continuing her training as a Sailor Scout in the future instead of going back to the past with them. The reason why was revealed by the Quartet that made as grand an entrance as before when they were on the side of evil rather than good.

The girls, minus Midoriko and Kushinada, had been stunned, even more so when the boys, minus Darien, revealed that they had known that the Amazoness Quartet were Sailor Scouts, specifically for the four major asteroids located in the belt between the planets Mars and Jupiter. While Rini did have her memories back, the trigger being the arrival of Mamoru in the circle of power generated by the Gold and Silver Crystals in conjunction with the Planet Crystals of the Sailor Scouts who still retained their Super forms, according to their future selves, and they'd regain them soon enough.

Though they couldn't help but wonder why some of them were giggling when they said this.

--

Eiji, Morisato, Takuya, and Shiro were walking down the streets of Crystal Tokyo in silence. After having seen the past versions of themselves and their friends off, the group had left towards a certain part of the city.

"Do you think we did the right thing?" Morisato suddenly asked. "Not telling them everything?"

Eiji spared the scarred man a glance. "I'm sure we did. Remember, Young-teme and I didn't get along that well before. Speaking of, I see that he and his band did a good job evacuating the city."

Shiro chuckled, shaking his head. "When are you two going to agree that there is no us and them, Little Brother?"

Eiji shook his head, not falling for the bait. "By now they'll have returned exactly when they left, the second Ice Age pushed back thanks to the efforts of Rini and Mamoru, though neither the twins of our past selves are aware of it. If we told them otherwise, too many things could change." He frowned, looking back towards the palace. "Bad enough the Urashima's gave their past selves love advice…"

"Come now," said Shiro. "Like you wouldn't have wanted some in concern to Lady Lita."

Eiji blushed slightly, grunting as he lightly punched the older man in the shoulder. "They'll be alright," he said. "We're still here aren't we?"

"I don't know…" Morisato shrugged and smiled. "You know what they say, Aniki. The more things change, the more they stay the same."

"Enough fortune cookie crap," groused Takuya, "The brats are going to eat us alive if we don't hurry up." The group had finally arrived at their destination. The Dojo of Musabetsu Kakutou Ryu; The Kusanagi clan's ancient school of the martial arts.

"Hrmph." Eiji grunted, pushing open the doors to the large dojo. The multitude of children scattered around the large space inside, dressed in training gi, looked up at near the same time.

"Tousan!" A young girl ran towards Eiji, followed closely by her elder brother.

"Daddy!" A pair of twin girls raced towards Morisato, their younger brother chasing after them.

"Pop!" A tomboyish girl with her roguish twin brother shoved the others aside to race over to Takuya.

"Father." The eldest of the children, a boy, calmly walked over to Shiro, his baby sister resting on his shoulders.

Eiji knelt down and met his two children with a smile. '_Heh, the more things change huh? I suppose that's more than correct…_'

* * *

THE END

* * *


	34. Glossary

Me: Not an actual chapter here folks, just a little glossary of items/Riders from this fic. You don't have to read the story to read this though it is recommended.

Bahamut: What about the (You-Know-What)? Aren't you going to tell them about that?

Me: (Evil Grin of DOOM; patent pending) Oh I most certainly will... AT THE END OF THE GLOSSARY!

* * *

**A/N: Just an FYI... All the kaiju herein and have-been are all primarily based on the works of one G-samurai located on DA, otherwise known as The Neos Series. Check them out if you want more details on appearance and powers!  
**

**DISCLAIMERS: I own what's my own.  
**

* * *

**GLOSSARY**

By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland

K-ZECTORS

The K-Zectors are a type of technology not only created to specifically house the souls of the kaiju, but to allow portions of their power and abilities to manifest within the Rider and their armor. When in outside the armor, the K-Zector resembles an ordinary, albeit hi-tech, wrist-watch or a seemingly plain belt-buckle. Each K-Zector is built in with certain programs such as tracking and locating the Crystals as well as other Riders, energy analysis, and several types of warning systems, the most prominent being an activation of the BioMerge System. In Rider Form, the K-Zector resembles a portion of the daikaiju it represents, commonly being its head or limbs. In this form, the K-Zector displays information in a sphere-shaped hologram roughly the size of a baseball.

--

M-BASE

The M-Base, contrary to what one might assume, is not in fact a dormant gene with the Riders. It is, in fact, an extra gene placed within their bodies by the K-Zectors though why or for what reason remains a mystery. The M-Base allows two basic powers, a strong and weak ability though both are relative terms in concern to these powers. The limit of the M-Base relies entirely on both the power and the skill of the Rider though it has been proven that, with the right time of energy field in place, the M-Base can be oppressed to the point of being nonexistant.

--

CAST-ON SYSTEM

The Cast-On System is the one System frequently used by the Kamen Riders. It is a form of hardlight holographics images that give to the Riders a portion of their Daikaiju's anatomy while, at the same time, giving them a large boost of firepower to their attacks and even some of the kaiju's abilities. To activate the Cast-On System, the Rider must turn his, or her, K-Zector around a complete 180 degrees and yell out, "Cast-On." Once activated, the COS can last roughly up to thirty minutes or less depending on the energy used by the Rider.

--

BIOMERGE SYSTEM

The BioMerge System is one of the most dangerous abilities the Kamen Riders have at their disposal both for their enemies… and themselves. The BioMerge System is a strange blend of hologram and DNA based technologies. When activated, it gives the Rider the incomplete form of the kaiju they represent albeit at a smaller scale. This form is akin to that of a wraith, there and yet not at the same time. This leads to one of the many hazards of using the BioMerge System in that, if the Rider, or kaiju as the case more often is, doesn't consume enough energy to regain its proper stature and a fully corporeal form, the Rider's lifespan will be shortened as the kaiju feeds on their own energy. Being in the form of the kaiju is also dangerous in two ways; first, if the Rider is not properly prepared beforehand, the spirit of the kaiju will take over and their consciousness will be shoved back into a corner until they change back. Second, even when the Rider is prepared beforehand, the personality of the daikaiju begins to bleed into the Rider's mind until, finally, there is nothing left but the monster.

--

HYPER MODE

As the name implies, it is the most absolute form of power that only a few of the Kamen Riders are able to access and even then, the risks to themselves are sometimes too great even if the need is dire. The changes and powers given them vary between the Riders but the consequences and limits are still the same. A portion of their lifespan is taken as payment for power to rival an entire battalion of kaiju, power that lasts only five minutes. If the Rider hasn't deactivated the system, the HMS will deactivate itself AND the armor at the same time.

--

ARMOR

There are several main traits to the armor of the Kamen Riders Daikaiju, some that are unique and some that aren't so unique. Let's cover the basics first, neh?

1) The leatherlike bodysuits beneath the armor is on par with Kevlar and can stop most known projectiles.

2) The actual armor portions of the suits vary in strength depending on the strength of the Kaiju they take power from but are otherwise extremely durable, and are able to withstand many powerful attacks.

3) All visors contain built in HUDs that can replay whatever the Rider just saw or what another Rider is currently seeing if they're broadcasting the data through the wireless interconnection built into the helmets.

4) All mouth-guards contain a small microphone that can be activated with the press of a pair of fingers against the side of the guard-piece.

5) All K-Zectors are located either on the left wrist or on the waist. To activate the Cast-On System, one must turn the Zector 180 degrees around.

6) The COS only lasts for a limited time, until the Zector turns back to its original position. The amount of time varies depending on energy spent.

* * *

CAST OF ESTABLISHED KAMEN RIDERS

(NOTE: All information herein pertains to BEFORE the battle with Ghidorah but AFTER the confrontation with Kulutues.)

* * *

**_GOJIRA_**

Gojira's armor acts as an energy absorption unit, capable of absorbing all forms of energy to limited degrees of success. Energy attacks can still damage the armor depending on just what kind of energy it is as well as its method of delivery. However, nuclear and electrical energies, especially lightning, serve more to replenish Gojira's energy than to actually harm him. As was already noted, Gojira's armor is so primed to absorb radiation, the energy residue of his G-Force Cannon's attacks are virtually nonexistent and Eiji himself is radiation free outside the armor. Gojira's armor also allows him to breathe underwater and swim at speeds of over 40 knots, with the COS activated of course.

**CAST-ON HOLOGRAM**

Godzilla's spines and tail.

**M-BASE**

Empathy on a city-wide scale but prefers close range contact. Can only feel surface emotions unless touching and even then, the other must be asleep. Secondary: Complete regeneration of any injury, no matter how severe, provided enough time is available. Poisons have no effect a second time.

**WEAPON **

G-FORCE CANNON

The G-Force cannon is shaped like Godzilla's head with the barrel in place at the mouth and located on Gojira's right forearm. It is capable of shooting fireballs or a concentrated beam of nuclear energy, the strength of said attacks pending on the activation of the Cast-On System. If the barrel is ever abstructed, the energy will merely flush out of the pores located in the leatherlike bodysuit beneath the armor, creating a nuclear pulse.

_ATTACKS_

_Atomic Fire_ – Gojira's G-Force Cannon fires a machine-gunlike fire of atomic fireballs. On par with MegaMan's Buster Cannon.

_Atomic Beam _– A laserbeam composed of highly concentrated nuclear energy. COS required attack.

_Spiral Atomic Inferno _– A powerful beam of nuclear energy near the temperature of the sun. Extensive use of this attack diminishes Gojira's lifespan. Hyper Mode's sole attack.

* * *

**_ANGUIRUS_**

Anguirus' armor has a talent that, at first, would appear virtually useless in a fight. It has its own methods of creating oxygen in the mask, allowing the Brown Rider to breathe in a non-oxygenated environment. Because of his ability to create forceshields with the strength to stop gas, most notably air, from entering or exiting, Anguirus would be at risk of choking to death were it not for his armor. However, there is a limit to how much air his armor can generate, though what that limit is, Anguirus is not eager to find out. It should also be noted that certain portions of his armor (specifically his back, shoulders, and hips) are far more reinforced than normal and are near unbreakable.

**CAST-ON HOLOGRAM**

Anguirus' carapace.

**M-BASE**

Force-field projection. The maximum amount thus far has been five, which can contain the blast of a mild explosive. A single force-field can hold back anything, even air and gas, but not for long periods of time. Secondary: Perfect balance; can never be knocked over.

**WEAPON **

ANKYLO HAMMER

Roughly the same size of a Norse warhammer, the Ankylo Hammer is shaped like the tail-club of Anguirus and has a very unique property of altering its mass according to its Rider. If anyone else were to try and grasp the hammer, it would increase its weight beyond the capacity of the person. Thus, the hammer's true weight is unknown as it feels like as a feather in Anguirus' hands but as devastating as a wrecking ball to his enemies.

_ATTACKS_

_Ancient Strike_ – Anguirus uses the Ankylo Hammer as a sledgehammer or baseball bat, as the situation requires. Is on par with a "Rider Kick".

_Spinball Assault_ – Anguirus curls into a ball and acts like a spiked bowling ball that can richochet like a pinball. COS required attack.

* * *

**_RODAN_**

Like Anguirus, Rodan's armor allows him to breathe when he flies over the speed of sound. Rodan's ability to reach such speeds can be attributed to both his COS as well as the pair of rocket boosters located at the base of where his holo-wings meet on his back. Utilizing a similar form of combustion to Gamera's means of flight, Rodan's armor allows him to reach speeds of Mach 1.5 with ease. Rodan's armor, unlike the other Riders', is more lightweight, though his front torso is well fortified, having sacrificed defensive strength for speed. A direct hit can knock him out of the air, if one were able to catch him. Also, Rodan's visor is equipped with a telescopic lens capable of increasing his vision range to that of a hawk's.

**CAST-ON HOLOGRAM**

Rodan's wings and talons.

**M-BASE**

Aero-kinesis via control of winds to 'hear' sounds from a distance and lift himself in the air.

**WEAPON **

PRIMAL SWORD

Rodan's katana upon the hilt of which is shaped in the form of the daikaiju's head with the blade being 'breathed' out of its beak. The sword is quite thin, just barely measureable, and the sharp edge is actually serrated to such a degree that, if Rodan so desired, he could burn as well as cut his opponents down.

_ATTACKS_

_Sonic Winding Slash_ – Rodan uses his Primal Blade as a battoujutsu strike—a slash attack that is too fast to be seen. Power is increased tenfold with COS active.

_Slicing Hurricane Gale _– An energy wave of vacuumed air that can slice through steel like a hot knife through butter. COS required attack.

_Wildfire Tornado _– A battoujutsu strike with the Primal Sword that, with the combination of all of Rodan's ki, creates a burning tornado of wind and flame. A double-edged attack that takes a vast amount of Rodan's energy and ki.

* * *

**_GAMERA_**

Gamera's armor acts much like Gojira's only in that it can absorb fire and the energies that Gamera calls mana. However, Gamera's armor is not designed to hold the energy so Gamera has no choice but to return fire lest he overcharge his armor. The turtleshell-like compartment on his back that holds his Terra Blaster also contains various medical emergency equipment inside. Gamera's armor is entirely focused on keeping him alive as long as possible, even beyond wounds that would kill an ordinary person, and will heal him, albeit at a much slower rate than Eiji's own healing factor. Like Gojira's armor, Gamera's allows him to breathe underwater.

**CAST-ON HOLOGRAM**

Gamera's shell and forearms.

**M-BASE**

The Sight, or Aura-sensing. Can see the life energies of anything around him and can manipulate it to a certain degree. Secondary: Slight pyrokinesis; can manipulate but not create.

**WEAPON**

TERRA BLASTER

Located on his shell-like back, the Terra Blaster has a very limited range of being fired but its accuracy is 100 percent everytime. The fireballs shot from it are made of pure plasma and are fired in a similar fashion to Gojira's own cannon though at a slower rate of speed. Anything capable of plugging the barrel does not last long as it is either burned or melted away upon firing.

_ATTACKS_

_Flaming Barrage_ – Gamera uses his Terra Blaster to fire a machine-gunlike fire of plasma fireballs. Slightly stronger than Gojira's Atomic Fire attack albeit slower.

_Gaia Slicer_ – Using his arms, Gamera creates an X-shaped energy wave capable of tearing flesh but leaving inorganic materials, such as steel or clothes, untouched. COS required attack.

_Final Rest_ – Gamera gathers up all his energy and the Aura around him and releases it in a single mighty blast. An attack that can, at best, cost him severely or end his life

* * *

**_KISHIN_**

Kishin's armor is his life-support and his curse all at the same time. Being one of the first Kamen Rider armor to be created, Kishin's has one potentially fatal flaw. Kishin's armor automatically activates the Cast-On System when it appears and slowly "bleeds" the personality of the kaiju within onto the Rider's psyche and can eventually lead to the activate of the BioMerge System. The red sacs at the base of the neck are a secondary set of lungs that help Hudson and prevents him from going into lung failure as well as allow him to breathe underwater. As strange as it sounds, the fact that most of Kishin's "armor" is missing, leaving only the helmet, boots, and leatherlike bodysuit, Kishin is by no means defenseless. In fact, the durability of the bodysuit exceeds that of any Rider's and is on par with basic Kamen Rider armor.

**CAST-ON HOLOGRAM**

(The Cloverfield)'s arms and tail.

**M-BASE**

Highly resistant skin. Cannot be pierced by anything save perhaps for diamonds though this has not yet been attempted. Secondary: Immune system is unique in that, once receiving a certain virus or bacteria, any relation to said microbes cannot infect him.

**WEAPON**

THE CAST-ON SYSTEM

Unlike the other Riders, Kishin's COS is activated instantly and has no time limit. Thus the secondary pair of arms of (the Cloverfield) are used as Kishin's weapons, capable of everything the monster itself could do if it were his size.

_ATTACKS_

_Kaiju Krusher –_ Kishin uses his holo-arms and slams the palms together to either create a concussive wave of air or to smash his enemy into pancakes. The force of the blow is enough to shatter steel.

_Berserker Charge –_ Not so much an attack as a state of mind. Kishin loses control and surrenders to the monster within his armor and acts like a maddened beast, unable to understand friend from foe.

* * *

**_CAESAR_**

Caesar's armor allows him all the extreme senses of a canine and a strange form of durability to nearly match Anguirus. While the tail-like attachment is rather odd, it does greatly benefit Caesar in maintaining his balance on two legs or when he goes on all fours with his COS activated. His visor is made of a special kind of reflective glass that absorbs beams of energy and shoots them right back at the attacker, if Caesar so chooses. The energy is also changed into solar radiation during the absorption and returned as such. During the day, Caesar's armor gives him more power with the sun's light while it is weaker at night, especially without a full moon.

**CAST-ON HOLOGRAM**

King Caesar's arms and legs.

**M-BASE**

Canine senses like that of a bloodhound. Secondary: Stonelike skin and virtual immortality. Body ages at the rate of stone but can still be killed.

**WEAPONS:**

FISTS AND FEET

You read correctly. Caesar has no need for weapons for his own body is a weapon. He is a true martial artist.

_ATTACKS_

_Solar Hunter/Hunter's Moon_ – Caesar leaps into the air and, gathering energy from the sun or moon, does a high jump kick down upon his opponent. Slightly stronger than a "Rider Kick".

_Wolf's Strike _– A punch attack delivered in whatever fashion Caesar likes. Slightly weaker than a "Rider Kick".

_Return of the King!_ – An energy attack in the shape of King Caesar's head. Can be delivered via punch or kick but requires a large amount of absorbed energy. A COS required attack.

* * *

**_MOSURA_**

Of all the Riders it is Mosura that is one of the most dangerous. Her powers in the arts of white magic are unparalleled and her armor reflects this to a tee. That is, of course, when she has used the Cast-On System beforehand. Mosura's armor is the most unique in that, when first activated, it starts off as being quite weak in comparison to the other Riders; its strength quite equal to a caterpillar and possessing little offensive or defensive abilities. Once the COS is activated, Mosura's true potential begins to shine. In Imago Mode, Mosura's armor gives off a field of peace-inspiring aura that tames lesser minded creatures and her wings are made of a special organic metal capable of creating a reflective dust cloud around her at the cost of her ability to fly.

**CAST-ON**

Otherwise known as Imago Mode. The armor is enhanced twice over and gains organic metal wings

**M-BASE**

Mage level mastery of all white magic. Secondary: In tune with all lifeforms and can sense their physical pain.

**WEAPONS:**

SILK BUSTERS

The only true weapon Mosura has in Larvae Mode, the Silk Busters, located on both her forearms, created a silken webbing stronger than steel.

TRINITY

A trio of small circular gemstones located on Mosura's brow. In Larvae Mode, the Trinity is capable of shooting a short but powerful blast that can knock any creature into a dazed state of mind. In Imago Mode, the ability is strengthened to the point that one can easily be knocked unconscious from the blow.

STAFF OF THE COSMOS

Shaped like a monk's staff, the Staff of the Cosmos is Mosura's only true weapon and is used rather like a stave, or wand if you prefer. It channels Mosura's White Magic and strengthens its effects. It is also capable of banishing lesser evil creatures with but a single strike.

_ATTACKS_

_Trinity Burst_ – A burst of energy delivered from the three jewels located on Mosura's brow. In Larvae Mode, capable of disorientating foes while in Imago Mode, more than capable of knocking them out with a single direct hit.

_World Peace _– A concentrated attack that uses all of Mosura's White Magic into a single blow that has several mixed results depending upon the situation. Her allies can be healed, poisons and ill effects can be cured, and her enemies frozen in a state of pure bliss are just some of the effects of this devasting attack.

* * *

**_MANDA_**

Manda's armor is designed on the sole basis of being in water. Very deep water. As such, her performance on land leaves much to be desired but when she's in her element… She's already won. Her helmet allows her to convert the water into oxygen and has an inbuilt sonar system far superior yet still similar to a dolphin or whale's. Her armor as a whole allows her to withstand extreme pressure and is completely immune to electricity. Given her ability to bend her body much like a snakes, the armor is built to allow her to literally coil around her opponent and suffocate the life out of them, a move that is best applied with the activation of her COS.

**CAST-ON HOLOGRAM**

Manda's lower body and back-flippers.

**M-BASE**

Aqua-kinesis. Exact level of control has never been fully measured. It should be noted that she was able to flood all of Tokyo though the effort cost her, her life. Mild electro-kinesis on par with an electric eel's power.

**WEAPON**

OROCHI-TONGUE

A cerulean trident shaped whose spikes are shaped like the tongues of serpents, the Orochi-Tongue can create and manipulate electricity from the serpent-head forks. It is roughly six feet long.

_ATTACKS_

_Scream of the Orochi_ – Manda let's loose a bolt of lightning from her Orochi-Tri. Has twice the power of Sailor Jupiter's _Sparkling Wide Pressure_ but slightly weaker than her _Oak Evolution_.

_Snake Twister _– Manda coils her body tightly either around her opponent or acts like a spring/whip. COS required attack.

* * *

**_BARAGON_**

Design for burrowing and digging through rubble, dirt, and stone; Baragon's armor is as thick as they come, rivaled only by his own skull. Like Anguirus, Baragon's armor is heavily fortified, especially on the arms, and can withstand deep pressure and extreme temperatures, to the point where he could swim through magma if he so wanted to. The pair of 'ears' at the sides of the helmet act as batlike sonar and allow Baragon to 'see' even the slightest vibration/movement.

**CAST-ON HOLOGRAM**

Baragon's claws and head.

**M-BASE**

Geokinesis and Pyrokinesis. Geokinesis is the dominant trait and, assuming from data gathered from Manda, could very well lift an entire mountain. Pyrokinetic control allows 'firebreath' and fists but very little beyond that.

**WEAPON**

OROCHI-CLAWS

A set of three claws over a foot long located at the back of Baragon's hands. Can cut through anything weaker than titanium. The claws can be retracted into the arm guards.

_ATTACKS_

_Strike of the Orochi_ – Baragon gathers energy in his claws and slams them down, creating an earthquake and/or an orb of concentrated geo-energy at his foes. Stronger than Uranus' _World Shaking_

_Pyro Burst_ – Baragon blows a stream of fire from his 'mouth'. A COS required attack.

* * *

**_VARAN_**

Varan's armor is by far the strangest in that while he can change his mass at will, the density, aka the hardness, of the armor never changes. Designed for a flying-squirrel type of flight, Varan has a leatherlike material that stretches between his wrists and ankles that are impervious to being cut by anything short of another Rider's weapon and can be retracted into the armor. The spikes along his back are heavily laced with a mass variety of bacterial poison, making it impossible to cure by anyone save for Varan himself, and he doesn't share the antidote with anyone.

**CAST-ON HOLOGRAMS**

Varan's legs and tail. Allows faster landspeed and greater control in the air as well as a third striking weapon.

**M-BASE**

Aerokinesis on level of control winds. Control is greater than Rodan's but cannot allow flight outside the armor. Mass manipulation between 'light as a feather' and 'heavy as a rock'.

**WEAPONS**

OROCHI-FANGS

A pair of bladed chakram, the blades are serrated, like Rodan's Primal Sword, and contain a toxin capable of rendering those inflicted by it with unparalleled fear.

_ATTACKS_

_Bite of the Orochi_ – Varan flies upwards before delivering a helicopter-like slashing barrage with his Orochi-Fangs or throws the Fangs like a boomerang. The alternate to this attack is delivered the same but sends forth blades of concentrated energy. The alternate is a COS-required attack.

_Toxic Reign _– Varan curls into a ball and acts like a buzzsaw, often finishing with a harsh slash of his holo-tail. A COS-required attack.

* * *

**_BATTRA_**

Of all the Riders it is Battra that is one of the most dangerous alongside that of his sister. His powers in the arts of black magic are unparalleled and his armor reflects this to a tee. That is, of course, when he has used the Cast-On System beforehand. Battra's armor is exactly like Mosura's in that, when first activated, it starts off as being quite weak in comparison to the other Riders; its strength quite equal to a caterpillar and possessing little offensive or defensive abilities. In Imago Mode, Battra's armor gives off a field of rage-inspiring aura that brings lesser-minded creatures to a animalist frenz. His wings are made of a special organic metal capable of creating bolts of black magic.

**CAST-ON HOLOGRAMS**

Otherwise known as Imago Mode. The armor is enhanced twice over and gains organic metal wings.

**M-BASE**

Mage level mastery of all black magic. Secondary: In tune with the earth itself and can sense her physical pain.

**WEAPONS**

RAMUH-GUNNER

The only true weapon Battra has in Larvae Mode, the Ramuh-Gunner, located beneath the horn on his forehead, the Ramuh-Gunner is the small blue orb that is capable of firing orbs of dark magic. In Imago Mode, the jewel's power is strengthened to such a degree that Battra can fire the energy from his eyes.

STAFF OF THANATOS

Shaped like a large harvesting scythe, the Staff of Thanatos is Battra's only true weapon and is used rather like a stave, or wand if you prefer. It channels Battra's Black Magic and strengthens its effects. It is also capable of banishing lesser evil creatures with but a single strike.

_ATTACKS_

_Schwarz Bursting _– A burst of dark energy delivered from the Ramuh-Gunner. In Larvae Mode, capable of disorientating foes while in Imago Mode, more than capable of killing them with a single direct hit.

_Chaos_– A concentrated attack that uses all of Mosura's Black Magic into a single blow that has several mixed results depending upon the situation. Her allies can be healed, poisons and ill effects can be cured, and her enemies frozen in a state of pure bliss are just some of the effects of this devasting attack.

* * *

**_DESTROYAH_**

Destroyah's armor is like that of a crustacean's, very hard to break and harder still to penetrate. Literally immune to all forms of convential weaponry, the only known weakness of Destroyah's armor is sub-zero temperatures which renders its systems, and his own cells, inert. Destroyah's armor also possesses the unique ability to create micro-oxygen, a type of anti-life chemical capable of devouring living creatures with ease, leaving only the bones behind. With his ability to divide into three, albeit weaker, clones; the armor is severly taxed the longer he remains separated and will automatically shut down if Destroyah doesn't reform himself in time.

**CAST-ON HOLOGRAM**

Destroyah's lower half and tail.

**M-BASE**

Literally breathe out micro-oxygen and so does not need to actually 'breathe'. Supposedly able to clone himself but has never actually been seen.

**WEAPON**

LASER-KATANA

Its appearance belies its true potential one could say about Destroyah's weapon. Appearing as no more than an ordinary long-sword katana, it possesses one unique and deadly trait. Whenever Destroyah wishes it to be so, the metal blade turns into pure high-grade laser energy capable of cutting anything, even the armor of another Rider.

_ATTACKS_

_DeathStriker_ – Destroyah activates his Laser-Katana and slices his enemies in pieces.

_Oxygen Destroyer_ – A blast of micro-oxygen that destroys all organic matter it touches. Released as a fine spray from Destroyah's hands. COS required attack.

* * *

**_MEGAGUIRUS_**

Megaguirus armor is a lot like Rodan's though her defense is far stronger despite her ability to fly as fast as Rodan can ability with far more maneuverability. Megaguirus' armor is insect-like in design and is built entirely upon the concept of faster-than-sound speeds as well as her desire to feast upon the energy of living organisms, specifically energy-rich fauna. Unlike other flying Riders, Megaguirus is not equipped with an advanced rocket system but a pair of energy burners that, combined with her COS, allow her far advanced maneuverability compared to any flyer.

**CAST-ON HOLOGRAMS**

Megaguirus' wings and tail. Allows greater control and speed in the air.

**M-BASE**

Supersonic speed and drain energy through biting. Can no longer eat normal foods and excessive use of speed increases hunger.

**WEAPON**

DRAINAGE

A pair of bladed tonfa with a unique ability. With every strike delivered, energy is taken from the opponent but, strangely, not their ki (life energy).

_ATTACKS_

_Life Taken_ – A play on the phrase, 'taking life'; a high-speed attack that uses the Drainage weapons to capture and to hold Megaguirus prey as she feeds on their energy.

_Mach Slicer_ – Using her supersonic flight, Megaguirus cuts up her foes before they even realize what has hit them.

* * *

**_GIGAN_**

Gigan's armor is built entirely upon his ability as an assassin, giving him great stealth abilities in the dead of night and a vast array of silent but deadly weaponry at his disposal. He has the most advanced sensory equipment of any Rider, capable of seeing through magic and technology alike. Gigan's armor is equipped with three ridge-like sails allowing him to glide through the air and has great control over his flight and speed. His visor is also equipped with a laser-cannon able to shoot out a concentrated beam or shards of laser-energy.

**CAST-ON HOLOGRAM**

Gigan's wings and tail.

**M-BASE**

Teleportation up to a mile's distance. Eyes can see in any range and from behind as well.

**WEAPONS **

AKU-SUKU

Gigan's scythe-like blades which are both equipped with grappling hooks to reel in his prey. The two blades can also be switched for a pair of chainsaws, not quite as silent but far more fun to weild. Both weapons are made of adamantium.

_ATTACKS_

_Assassin's Creed _– Gigan shoots out a pair of bladed disks that fly through the air and act like boomerangs, tracking their target until they are destroyed or otherwise imbedded. It should be noted that these weapons are diamond-edged.

_Crimson Light_ – Gigan fires his 'laser-eye' in either a focused beam or a storm of shards. COS required attack

* * *

**_MEGALON_**

While the cybertronic Gigan is the assassin, Megalon is the demolisher and his armor reflects this greatly. Heavily fortified and incredibly slowmoving, the armor appears as more of a strain on the Rider but this isn't so. Megalon can move quite fast despite his heavy mass and can even hover in the air for short distances. One of the armor's best abilities is the ability to literal conform together upon the Rider to create a giant drill that grants Megalon a faster speed underground. In this form, Megalon is blind and cannot actually see where he is going so he's rather like a rhino on the stampede, which doesn't change much in his normal form for that matter…

**CAST-ON HOLOGRAM**

Megalon's horn and drills.

**M-BASE**

Several times stronger than a normal human could be. Secondary: Creation of organic napalm bombs from mouth.

**WEAPONS**

DRILLBITS

Replacing his forearms are a pair of massive drills that can be combined to form the giant drill portion of Megalon's Dynamic Drill attack. The drills are made of a high-density metal, possibly admantium or even orichalcum.

_ATTACKS_

_Thor Bursting_ – A bolt of lightning is shot out of Megalon's horn atop his helmet. On par with one of Sailor Jupiter's Jupiter Thunder Crash.

_Dynamic Drill_ – Megalon's body compacts tightly to form a giant drill that allows him greater speed but makes him blind as a result. COS required attack.

* * *

**_LEGION_**

Legion's armor is similarly designed like Gamera's in that her weapon is located attached to her back rather than her arms or freeformed. It is also unique all to itself in that both it and the Rider beneath can create vast swarms of insects collectively referred to as the Plauge as their passing is similar to a horde of locusts with several times the danger. Legion's armor allows her to control magnetic fields and alter the trajectory of any energy attack thrown upon her. Unfortunately, the armor has, like Irys, a few fatal flaws. One is that it does not possess the Cast-On System, only the BioMerge which, upon activation, destroys any personality that was once the Rider and leaves behind the personalities of the kaiju with the K-Zector as the armor itself is already a vast portion of the creature.

**M-BASE**

Can create and control the Plauge swarm. Can sense magnetic waves like a homing pigeon.

**WEAPON **

QUEEN'S HORN

Located on her hunclike back, the Queen's Horn is, quite literally, the horn of the kaiju LEGION and has all of the same abilities. It can create a field of magnetic energy, waves of energy capable of cutting through anything, and… well, the last trick has never fully been seen as it's never actually happened.

_ATTACKS_

_Magne Cutter_ – A sickle-shaped blast of energy from the Queen's Horn. Capable of tearing through anything, even the armor of another Rider. Only known defense is a strong magnetic field.

_Absolution_ – With the Queen's Horn damaged or destroyed, Legion can launch up to eight energy whips and control their movements with ease. As it has never been used before, there is no known defense to this attack.

* * *

**_IRYS_**

Designed similarly to Megaguirus' draining abilities, Irys' armor is far more advanced and leaves nothing left in his prey but a gray, husked corpse. The armor is one of the best of the Kamen Riders… and one of the worst. The costs for wearing the armor of Irys are threefold; First, one loses their eyes and can no longer see in the normal sense. Second, food and drink have no taste nor do they quench hunger or thirst, only the life energies of other people can sate the pain. Third, any activation of the Cast-On System is on par with activating the BioMerge System and allows the personality of the kaiju to leak through.

**CAST-ON HOLOGRAM**

Irys' tentacles.

**M-BASE**

Can See to a finer degree than Gamera but cannot manipulate the energies of Aura, only absorb and redirect. Supposedly able to create lifelike illusions but has never demonstrated this skill.

**WEAPON **

FAILURE

A pair of blades embedded to the top of his hands. Every strike made with them absorbs a little of his opponent's power and lifeforce.

_ATTACKS_

_Phoenix__ Strike_ – Using his Failure Blades, Irys stabs into his opponent and drains them of their life essence..

_Gaia Destroyer_ – Using his holo-tentacles, Irys lashes at his opponents with either his own power or their own turned against them. COS required attack.

* * *

**_KULUTUES_**

While the former daikaiju is not by any means a normal Kamen Rider, his shape and abilities easily rival, maybe even dominate, over their own. Shaped like the armor of Gojira, Kulutues can absorb the energy of any all types of Crystal powers, even those that he had no hand in creating. The armor can withstand most known energies, especially those seemingly composed of light as the armor can create a Crystal Shield to reflect the attack away like a mirror.

**M-BASE**

Telekinesis; Crystal creation/manipulation; Crystal Energy Absorption

**WEAPON**

KRYSTALSHOULDERS

With enough power in his shoulder-mounted Crystals, Kulutues' abilities virtually make him a demi-god.

_ATTACKS_

Kulutues has no distinct attacks like the other Riders as his power and abilities vary tremendously upon the Crystal powers he's absorbed. These abilities can range from telekinesis, Crystal manipulation/creation, corona energy manipulation, etc. His only true weakness are the Krystalshoulders and his lack of physical prowess.

* * *

COMING SOON...

* * *

**The tale of the Kamen Riders Daikaiju has finally come to its end…**

**But the story… is far from over…**

**One, a man filled with rage matching that of a blazing inferno…**

"I'm only warnin' ya one time; I start and end on a CLIMAX!"

**One, a young gentleman graced with the serenity of the sea at midnight…**

"I guess it is true that one does not need bait to catch an idiot…"

**One, a gentle giant with the strength of the mountains…**

"To be strong, you need strength of body and strength of mind together."

**One, a child whose limit is matched only by the light of his imagination…**

"C'mon let's play! Let's play! Just don't cry when I beats you up, okay?"

**One, an elder with the power of an ancient glory…**

"To the infinite and beyond; I write my own destiny."

**One, a young boy dealt a cruel fate mixed with an unbelievable fantasy…**

"I just want to live my life as a normal person! Is that really too much to ask?!"

**Funny thing is…**

**They're all the same person.**

"Start Game!"

**Coming soon, the sequel to Kamen Rider Daikaiju: Epic of the Cosmos…**

_"United we stand; divided we fall! We are-_

**Kamen Rider Guardian Force!"**


End file.
